We're taking the scenic route today, a walk in, uh, drive through the park for yours truly. I do believe this is a debut construction for both authors - I did a Google search of the names, and the one thing I found they had in common ( if I picked the correct people ) is a "machine learning" education/understanding. We'd love to get some feedback from you - drop in & visit our Crossword Corner~! ( merge left here ) There were no delays today, just a cruise through the clues & answers, including several one-word types - twenty-one, in fact, which I like; that's how Fridays should be. Yet another "expanded" grid for your Friday host, two in a row now. The "ST" abbr. for 'street', tacked on to four in-language phrases, outside the box, on the "side", with humorous cluing - sounds like a coffee or restaurant order. Standard grid initially, a few names, no Twurds, a balance of 3-, 4-, and 5-letter words, with several car clues & Frawnche fill. The four themers and reveal;
25. "My peacock's tail is the best!," e.g.?: FEATHERBOAST
49. Record of one's attempts to enter a hedge maze?: STARTHISTORY
60. Promise made by a serial dater who aspires to commit?: ONEMORETRYST- "One More Try" is a unique fill
38. Features of some detours, or what four answers in this puzzle need in order to match their clues?: SIDE STREETS - and a unique fill, too~!
Grid Flow a low 24.9
🚧But Wait, ⛔There's More~!🏁
ACROSS:
1. Sheer: UTTER - One-word clue, one-word answer; letting me start with SHEER~? Priceless~!
Utterly beautiful
6. Walrus kin: SEAL
10. Waffle over in the freezer aisle: EGGO - Too easy for Friday
14. Bête __: NOIRE -Frawnche #1, "black beast"
15. Shoestring: LACE - Sunday dupe
16. Infuriate: ROIL
19. Explore Mars, perhaps: ROVE - As Spirit & Opportunity did for NASA; I love the science success stories these two travelers gave us
20. Ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet: TET - new clue for this old answer; learning moment for me
21. Reaction to lions and tigers and bears: "OHMY~!" - never gets old - 😁
22. Vein of ore: LODE
23. Genesis locale: EDEN - AND - . . .
29. Genesis locale: SODOM - straight clecho
31. Accessory often tipped or used for tips: HAT
32. "Dee-lish!": "YUM~!"
33. French bean: HARICOT - straight Frawnche translation, #2, not a "?" clue for "tête"
37. "We are not alone" subj.: SETI - Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence
40. "Shoo!": "SCAT~!"
42. "Call Me" band: BLONDIE - name(ish) - they were just a hint before my time
Oui amie - more Frawnche, #3~!
43. Bud: PAL
44. Refuse to settle, perhaps: SUE - Last week, it was a "boy named SUE" . . .
45. Sticker: DECAL - Ah. There's where it goes - I had it here - 26D. Sticker: THORN. . . 😜
54. Mountain lion: PUMA
55. "Yer killin' me!": "C'MON..."
56. Utah city near two national parks: MOAB - mostly perps, I just had to fill in the "B"; geo-name #1
Click to enlarge and read the description
58. Fishing pole: ROD
59. Drops from above: RAIN - not the "bomb" kind of drop . . . 😏
63. Early Bond foe: DR. NO - The earliest, in movies, name #2
64. Actor Auberjonois: RENÉ - name #3, knew him from "Benson"
65. :-( : I'MSAD - The "original" way of using typed characters for emotions, a Thursday dupe, and plain sad is actually not available through the blogger, as R-Brain showed . . . now we're "égaliser" 😁
66. Fortuneteller: SEER - AND - 60D. Sphere consulted by a 66-Across: ORB
67. Spanish kiss: BESO
68. Touchscreen tappers: STYLI - FINGER was a 'digit' too much . . . 🙄
DOWN:
1. Marries: UNITES
2. Home of the El Greco Museum: TOLEDO - Spain, geo name #4, more here
3. Pitching: TILTED - Dah~! Not the SELLING, HAWKING or VENDING kind of pitching
4. Pitching stat: ERA- aaaand yet another definition of pitching - baseball
5. Make over: RE-DO - thanks for the Sunday shout-out, C.C. - I have finally gotten below 200lbs~!
6. Substance celebrated by the Sloomoo Institute: SLIME - Learning moment for me - more here
7. Smooth course: EASYA - crossword staple
8. Best club in Vegas?: ACE - But the best Ace is of Spades . . .
Motörhead - another "umlaut" band
9. Was up: LED - think sports, not out-of-bed
10. Bad move: ERROR
11. Peace offerings?: GOOD-BYES - I, and a couple of friends, usually sign off with "Peace."
12. Buckle: GIVEOUT - Like this bridge did - the verb, not the noun
give IN works, too, but doesn't fit
13. The Grand __ Opry: OLE
18. TV broadcast band: VHF - sssss, close, I tried UHF
22. Allow: LET
24. Like a 2024 Blake Snell game: NO-HIT - the only name I had no clue about, but in retrospect, the answer couldn't be much else, really. More baseball, name(ish)
27. Despised: HATED
28. French friend: AMI - Frawnche #4, the masculine friend
30. Steamed: MAD - Dah~! Not HOT
34. Symbolic puzzle that dates to the Middle Ages: REBUS - good WAG on my part
35. Key: ISLET - Didn't fool me this time - I count about two dozen definitions of the word "key"
37. Very much inclined: STEEP - I am one house, or about 500ft, from CT rte. 195, and I can tell when a semi is either lumbering up the 6% incline, or jake-braking on the down-side
Burrrr-bur-bur-bur-bu-bu-bur . . . .
38. Source of some pink seasoning: SALTMINE - I knew we were looking for "SALT", but "SEA" was not going to work . . .
39. Ramadan-ending holiday, informally: EID - filled via perps
40. Cocoa scrub venue: SPA - it's a "thing" - more on the benefits here
41. Auto maintenance: CARCARE - TUNE-UP was too short, OIL CHANGE too long
44. Transgression: SIN
46. Respectful dip: CURTSY
47. Virtually indifferent?: AMORAL - clever
48. "The People's Princess": LADYDI - killed in a car crash, Paris, 29yrs ago this month - no one was wearing a seat belt; name #5, Frawnche #5
Mark Axel commented on his last crossword here (a challenging Saturday grid in January) that his next puzzle would be "themed and much easier." Well, here we are, and he's delivered on his promise. Has the pendulum swung too far?
Starting with the reveal:
56. Wildly successful, or what three black squares in this puzzle literally are: GANGBUSTERS. Each of the following pairs contains a "hidden" synonym for GANG, busted apart by a black square:
17. "I want all the juicy details!": SPILL THE TEA + 19. Was introduced to: MET = TEAM.
27. Features of some old socks: HOLES + 29. Figure skating jump that has only been landed in competition by Ilia Malinin: QUAD AXEL = SQUAD.
43. Makes a clutch putt, perhaps: SAVES PAR + 46. Key mistakes?: TYPOS = PARTY.
As Mark alluded to earlier, this is about as straightforward as it gets. A very easy puzzle for a Thursday made even easier by circles. As I worked my way down, I saw TEAM and SQUAD (and REF) and thought "sports". Then PARTY struck rather jarringly, as I was expecting something like CLUB to keep the sports theme going.
Let's see the rest of the line-up:
Across: 1. "To __ their own": EACH. 💁
5. One with a supporting role?: PILLAR.🗑
11. Giggle syllable: HEE. 🤭
14. Potatoes, in Indian dishes: ALOO. 🥔
15. Nutty Italian cheese: ASIAGO. 🧀
16. Verbal fillers: UMS. 🤔
17. [theme]
19. [theme]
20. Tightens (up): TENSES. 🥨
21. "If I had to bet ... ": ODDS ARE. 🎲
23. "Use your umbrella!": STAY DRY. ☔
26. "Aladdin" figure: GENIE. 🧞♂️
27. [theme]
29. [theme]
31. Feature of some old socks: ODOR. 🤢
32. Replay reviewer: REF. Referee. 🦓
33. First aid pro: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.🚑
34. With 37-Across, place for a pawdicure: PET. A PET SPA. 🐾
35. Emoji from one who's down: SAD FACE. It's "Emoji Day" at the Corner! I remember when it was just :( Now it's fancy: 😢 What an age we live in!
37. See 34-Across: SPA. ⬆️
40. Fitting: APT. 🧩
41. "Gross!": ICK. 🤮
42. Inner workings: GUTS. 🌣🌣
43. [theme]
46. [theme]
47. Heart chambers: ATRIA. 🫀
48. "Want to play again?": ONE MORE. ☝️
50. Global spirits giant that began as a rum maker in Cuba: BACARDI. BACARDI USA built two iconic office buildings for their headquarters in Miami: a tower (1963) and an adjoining annex (1973). The annex is covered with hammered-glass mosaics.
The landmark Bacardi "Jewel Box"
52. Oscars, e.g.: AWARDS. Because GROUCHS didn't fit.
55. Pretend: ACT. 🎭
56. [theme]
59. __ lodge: SKI. ⛷️
60. Like loose laces: UNTIED. 👞
61. Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer: EGAN. Her novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. I haven't read it, but judging a book by it's cover, it looks award-winning to me!
62. "Exit full screen" key: ESC. Escape. ⌨️
63. Get cozy: NESTLE. 🧸
64. Cries noisily: SOBS. 😭
Down: 1. Direction that plays first in mahjong: EAST. East is a player, not a compass position.🀄
2. Mont Blanc, par exemple: ALPE. As Splynter would say, "From the Frawnche" (apologies for copying from your paper). 😂
3. Place that welcomes change?: COIN SLOT. Winner: Best Clue. 🏆
4. Wild West costume accessory: HOLSTER. 🔫
5. Easy mark: PATSY. 🐐
6. Kinda sorta: ISH. ≈
7. Falsehood: LIE. 🤥
8. "Stay the Night" singer Jackson: LA TOYA. This 1980 single from La Toya's poorly received second album peaked at #31, and was soon forgotten. Why we should know about it 46 years later is anyone's guess.
9. Like 15-Across: AGED. ⌛
10. Occasion to wear away uniforms: ROAD GAME. 🎽
11. Compassionate: HUMANE. 🫶
12. Celebrity chef with a flagship restaurant in New Orleans: EMERIL. In 2022, EMERIL Lagasse was named as the Chief Culinary Officer for Carnival Cruise Lines. So, now he's made a mess on a new flagship!
13. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE. 💄
18. Grassy expanses: LEAS. 🖼️
22. Message one may wish to open in private: SEXT. 🫣
24. Kicked out of a competition, briefly: DQED. Disqualified, because they liked Carvel better.
25. Scoundrel: RUFFIAN. 🦹🏻♂️
27. Word with bell or bar: HOP. 🦘
28. Lines of praise: ODE. 🪶
30. Dealer's handful: DECK. 🃏
32. "Aw, shoot!": RATS. 🐀
35. Free diver's weapon: SPEAR GUN. 🦯(this is a blind man's cane, but it kinda looks right)
36. Unit of farmland: ACRE. 🚜
37. Id counterpart: SUPEREGO. For more, talk to you therapist. I'd tell you, but then Id have to charge by the hour.
38. Vacation hrs.: PTO. Paid Time Off. As a small business owner, I've never had this. 🗓️
39. Pack animal: ASS. 🫏
40. Nike rival: AVIA. 👟
42. Takes turns?: GYRATES. 💫
43. Library area: STACKS. 📚
44. Powerfully cold: ARCTIC. 🥶
45. Score units: POINTS. 🎯
46. AAA offerings: TOWS. American Automobile Association.🪝
47. Take down a peg: ABASE. 👎
49. Apatow of "Euphoria": MAUDE. MAUDE struggled to find roles until she remembered that she has famous showbiz parents.
51. Copenhagen native: DANE.
53. Lacking pizzazz: DRAB. 🫒
54. Form W-2 digits: SSNS. Social Security Numbers. 💸
57. "Scram!": GIT. 👉
58. __ canto: BEL. Italian for "beautiful singing." 𝄟⃝💞
Clue: First Lesson in "How to Create a Crossword Puzzle"?
Answer: GET YOUR POINT ACROSS
Puzzling thoughts:
Chairman Moe here - fulfilling my monthlycommitment to my fellow
Crossword "Corner-ites" with a recap of today's collaborative puzzle from
Avery (Gee) Katz and Aaron Gee
A Google search for Avery provided this snippet from The New York
Times: “Avery Gee Katz, of Santa Clara, Calif., is a user
experience designer at a software company. She comes from a puzzle-loving
family — the first crossword she ever made was a Father’s Day present for her
dad ..."
A Google search for Aaron resulted in a related comment from The New York
Times indicating that he is Avery's brother. They collaborated on a
puzzle there in November of 2024. My guess is that this is their first
appearance @ LAT - if so, congrat's on your debut. Please stop by to say
hello and comment if you like
Today's puzzle - while seemingly straight-forward - uses a bit of wordplay to
provide an alternate clue for a common phrase/expression. For example:
18 across. First lesson in "How To DJ"?:
START FROM SCRATCH. Right off the bat, Avery and Aaron use an
idiomatic phrase meaning "to begin" and tie it to how one might become a disc
jockey (DJ)
For those of us who recall DJ's such as Casey Kasem or Wolfman Jack, who
"spun" records on a turntable for radio air play, many of today's DJ's use the
record on a turntable to create a background sound effect. They do this
by "scratching" the record surface - see video below
26 across. First lesson in "Plumbing: A Beginner's Guide"?:
TAKE THE PLUNGE. The idiomatic phrase "take the plunge" is
associated with being "all in", and making a bold decision to do something
with an uncertain outcome. The playful clue description might be a
lesson for all would-be plumbers in how to unclog a toilet, perhaps?
47 across. First lesson in "Sport Climbing and You"?:
LEARN THE ROPES. Once again Avery and Aaron become "Ms. and Mr.
Obvious" by suggesting that learning how to use ropes when climbing up the
face of a mountain is a necessary, first lesson. Or in this case, how to
engage in Sport Skateboarding!
61 across. First lesson in "A Handbook of Competitive Eating"?:
STEP UP TO THE PLATE. The idiomatic phrase refers - literally - to a
baseball player taking his stance in the batter's box and facing the
pitcher. It suggests that by doing so, you've committed to the task at
hand. The "plate" in this case is home plate. Avery and Aaron find
another "plate" to provide the wordplay: a pie plate, perhaps
In this episode of "The Big Bang Theory", Penny and Amy take on Leonard and
Sheldon in a series of competitive contests, including this one:
The grid size today is 15x16 to accommodate the two spanners (18 and 61
across). I'm guessing that Avery and Aaron didn't consider my
clue/answer in their choices as the answer contained 18 letters! 😉
Let's move on to the rest of the answers/fill as we admire, first, the solved
grid:
Across:
1. Mess up: BOTCH. I almost messed up the puzzle from the get go
when I tried the word ERROR
6. Beer foam: HEAD. Another mess up when I tried SUDS
10. Golden Arches sandwich: MC RIB. This was filled in correctly
as the McRib, oddly enough, was my erstwhile favorite McDonald's
sandwich. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to a
McDonald's in the past year and have fingers left over
15. Sneeze sound: ACHOO. "Gesundheit!"
16. Upfront stake: ANTE. I hope no one was thinking that the
stake in question was associated with camping
17. Family, in Hawaiian: OHANA. Totally solved with perps as I
knew not of this word. Perhaps if I had seen the Disney movie
"Lilo and Stitch" I'd have known of it [according to Reddit]
[Hawaii-Guide dot com] "Ohana is a Hawaiian word that means family, community, and deep connection. It goes beyond blood relatives to include chosen friends and neighbors,
meaning that nobody gets left behind or forgotten"
[theme entry]
21. Summer shirts: TANK TOPS. Question: is it objectifying to
show a picture of a woman sporting a tank top? How about a
guy? How about both, together? Let's go with the latter and see if
anyone comments ...
And here, you thought I was going to be objectifying! 🤣
22. "Let me say it again ... ": I REPEAT. Moe-ku:
The Who's Townshend helped
Me fertilize the garden.
Pete, and I, re-peat
23. Antlered grazer: ELK.
24. Trauma ctrs.: E.R.S. I last visited one of these when I was
on holiday in Portugal. The tour I was on insisted that I get seen by a
doctor as I had symptoms of a head cold. Went there on a Saturday around
5:30 pm. Got seen at 9:00. Yup, it was a head cold. No
"trauma" other than the 3-1/2 hour wait to be seen
25. Vocalized: ORAL. And its semi-clecho: (35 across. Uttered):
SAID.
[theme entry]
32. Rights org.: ACLU. Somewhat of an oxymoron;
the American Civil Liberties Union
is indeed a "rights" organization, but its adherents are generally
"left"-leaning
36. Mexican state on the Gulf of California: SONORA. CSO to all
of our Crossword Cornerites with Mexican
heritage. Sonora borders my state (Arizona) though I
have yet to visit it. One of its many attractions is a place called
Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point); a highly popular beach resort town just south of the Arizona border,
famous for its beaches, water sports, and nightlife. It's located on
the Sea of Cortez
37. Leap happily: BOUND. As in, "leaps and bounds"
39. Some jeans: LEES. A brand name, of course. Another clue
for lees is "dead yeast cells used in the fermentation of
wine". Lees are what gives some white wines a bit of a
creamy texture/mouth feel, and they add complexity to the finished "product"
41. Lute in Hindi cinema: SITAR. Moe-ku: (there's a lot to
unravel in this one!)
Actor Harrison,
Not George, played the SITAR
In some
"Indy" films
42. Hosts: EMCEES. A look back in time when Dean Martin hosted a
roast
44. 2022 Super Bowl winners: RAMS. One of their stars was a
former DT for my alma mater - and will undoubtedly be a Hall of Fame inductee
- though there is a rumor that he might end his retirement and come back to
play this year or next
Another Aaron
46. Forecast no.: TEMP. As I typed this recap, our forecast # for
today, in the Greater Phoenix area, was 109. Yesterday (July 24)
the temp set a record for the date: 117!!
[theme
entry]
50. Like Death Valley: ARID. Also, like Sonora; also, like
Phoenix. Our rainfall (year-to-date) is less than 3"; total
51. Coconut __: OIL. Couldn't figure out where this one was
going. I do a fair amount of cooking but do not use
coconut oil - but then I realized that coconut oil is used
primarily in skin moisturizers; as is this: (64 across. Ingredient in a
cooling lotion:) ALOE.
52. Poke bowl protein: AHI. Given the usage of a few
Hawaiian-related clues and answers in today's puzzle, I wonder if the Gee
siblings are from the 50th state?
55. Home exercise bike brand: PELOTON. This answer was my first
guess
59. Natural disaster, legally: ACT OF GOD. I can't recall ever
seeing this phrase used in a crossword puzzle before. The clue is quite
accurate as many insurance carriers will not cover items that were destroyed
or damaged from a natural disaster. [from Wikipedia] "Yes, "act of God" is a recognized legal term
used in contract law, tort law, and insurance. It describes an overwhelming,
unpreventable natural event—such as an earthquake, hurricane, or flood—caused
exclusively by natural forces without human intervention"
[theme
entry]
63. More frigid: ICIER. The synonym for this used to be
"frigider" until a certain appliance mfr said that it sounded too much like
its brand name ...
65. Locations for Christmas lights: EAVES. If you look closely,
Clark Griswold actually put some of his 25,000 Christmas lights under
the eaves
66. Welcome relief on a hot day: SHADE. Well, I can say that I am one
(here in AZ) who looks for a spot of shade in a parking lot,
but that barely helps when it's 117 degrees out
67. Scottish lids: TAMS. "Lids", as in the slang term for hats
68. High-protein grain: SPELT. Moe-ku:
Kellogg's proofreader
Skipped right past the word "ote". They
Thought, that's how it's spelt
Down:
1. Slather with butter, perhaps: BASTE. Watch most any French
cooking video and you'll see how frequently they baste - but
that doesn't mean you HAVE to be French to baste
2. In base eight: OCTAL. A tutorial for those who are unfamiliar
with base eight:
Not sure that I still totally understand it, but as a retiree I doubt I
will ever have to consider its use
3. "You'll __ me someday": THANK. For the tutorial above, perhaps??
😜
4. Winery keepsake: CORK. As your resident sommelier, I can attest
to keeping corks. One of these days I will endeavor to use
them for trivets, perhaps. When we were in Portugal we saw the source
of cork - it's harvested from the bark of a certain oak tree
that grows in the Alentejo region of Portugal. As this image shows, a portion of
the bark has been stripped from the tree. This is where the cork comes
from. The number (6) indicates the year in which it was harvested (2026).
The tree will regrow its bark and be ready for another harvest in 2035 (9 years)
5. Throat-soothing brew: HOT TEA. Another clip from
"TBBT". For Sheldon, offering a hot beverage was not
optional to someone who was feeling down-in-the-dumps. We can only
imagine that it was also throat-soothing
6. Ice dweller off the coast of Greenland: HARP SEAL. As opposed to
a monsoon dweller off the coast of India known as the Sitar Seal ... 😀
Happy Harp Seal
7. Actress Mireille: ENOS. Complete unknown, as clued. Oh,
how we have evolved in crossword clues! Back in the day this would have
been clued as "Baseball slugger Slaughter"
8. Self-serve bank device: ATM. At least today's description of
it was not what was clued back on July 24 when it (the ATM) was consigned to a
7-11 store
9. "You are my fire / The one __": "I Want It That Way" opening lyrics:
DESIRE. A "Backstreet Boys" classic
10. Cherries atop Black Forest cake: MORELLOS. I prefer
my Morello cherries in a Manhattan Cocktail. [from AI] "A
Manhattan pairs rye whiskey or bourbon, sweet vermouth, and bitters, garnished
with rich, tart Morello or Amarena cocktail cherries"
11. Crack, as lips: CHAP. [Merriam-Webster] Defined 5 ways: (1)
noun: a crack in or a sore roughening of the skin caused
by exposure to wind or cold; (2) intransitive verb: to open in cracks, slits, or chinks; (3) noun: the fleshy covering of a jaw; (4) noun: {mostly
British} fellow; (5) abbreviation: chapter
But my definition involves something different which is captured in this
Moe-ku:
Cowboy dismounted.
Walked
in brush to pee. Later,
He
found a chaps tick
12. Assign stars to: RATE. Over the course of my blogging I have
used many different RATE-ing scales to "grade" the puzzles.
My "Moes" [sic] Hardness Scale" is perhaps my favorite, but the current 5 star
system of grading has become the standard. Today's puzzle gets a solid,
⭐⭐⭐⭐s. Unlike this celestial body (Moe-l'ick):
At Lover's Lane there were parked many cars, With nighttime view of the planets, like
Mars. When her date, Roosevelt, Showed her Orion's Belt,
She uttered, "meh, I'll just rate it 3
Stars."
13. Cuzco civilization: INCA.
14. Thai currency whose symbol was once used to represent Bitcoin:
BAHT. Read this article
19. Tined flatware: FORKS. And this clecho-like clue/answer: (55
down. Trident-shaped letters:) PSIS. The image of the
letter Psi kinda looks like a fork
20. Dice game: CRAPS. I am on a "The Big Bang Theory" kick
today ... CRAPS mentioned @ 0:58
25. "Heavens!": OH DEAR.
26. Guitar peg, e.g.: TUNER.
27. Like the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras: TIERED.
This is actually in Vietnam
28. Bushels and pecks: UNITS. Or, for those here old enough to
remember, some song lyrics:
29. Scribbled reminder: NOTE. I am still pretty much "old school"
when it comes to note taking. I have lots
of note paper close at hand. Only time I use my
"Notes" app on my phone is when I am not close by my pen and paper
30. Family nickname: GRAM. My grandson calls me "GRAMPS"
31. Wyatt of Tombstone: EARP. Another CSO to we Arizonans.
Tombstone is ESE of Tucson and provides the tourists with several period
places to see what life was like in the 1800's. The top things to do
there include:
O.K. Corral:Watch daily live reenactments of the famous 1881 gunfight involving Wyatt
Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Clanton gang.
Bird Cage Theatre:
Tour the preserved 1880s saloon and gambling hall featuring original
fixtures and over 100 bullet holes.
Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park:
View Victorian-era exhibits, courtrooms, and the authentic outdoor gallows
from 1882.
Boothill Graveyard:
Walk through the historic pioneer cemetery where early outlaws and
townspeople are buried
32. Biblical brother: ABEL. Younger brother of Cain and the first
person murdered, according to The Bible
33. "Follow me": COME. "Psst! Follow me!!"
34. Pixar film about a young sea monster: LUCA. Here is the trailer:
38. Unfold, as a protein: DENATURE. [Merriam-Webster] "To denature
means
to change or ruin the natural qualities or shape of something. In science, it most often means changing proteins, DNA, or alcohol using
heat, acids, or chemicals." I seem to remember the term "denatured
alcohol" which loosely translated means, "don't drink it"!
40. Makes out: SMOOCHES. Symbolized by the letter "X" or the emoji
"😘"
43. Sharpen on a leather belt: STROP. My first memory of going to
the barbershop with my dad was watching a man getting a shave - the barber made
the razor sharp by using a leather strop
45. Ill will: SPITE. As opposed to "ill swill": SPRITE
48. Suggest: HINT AT. I tend to be pretty straight-forward - no
beating around the bush for this guy. Although some of my blog comments
may belie that
49. Gets married by Elvis, perhaps: ELOPES. Know anyone who's
been married by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas?
52. Tequila plant: AGAVE. [from AI] "Blue agave (Agave tequilana) is special because it is the only plant legally permitted to produce
authentic tequila. Its massive, starchy core (the piña) is rich in complex
carbohydrates and fructose, making it uniquely suited for fermentation and the
creation of a deeply complex, terroir-driven spirit". Moe enjoys
drinking tequila "neat"; Miss Margaret enjoys hers in a Margarita (go
figure!!)
53. Guest spot?: HOTEL. Not the guest spot on a TV talk
show
54. Namely: ID EST. Commonly seen as its abbreviation: i.e., - as
in, "Wyatt Earp is best known as a lawman from the wild west, i.e., one
of the ones who fought at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone". It's commonly
confused with its cousin, e.g., which means "for example" and comes from the
Latin "exempli gratia"
56. __ A Sketch: ETCH.
57. Skywalker raised on Alderaan: LEIA. Process of
elimination? Had to be either LEIA or Luke
58. Pointed column: OP ED. Speaking of getting your point across
...
59. Chemistry class model: ATOM. Is a molecule close enough? My
final "The Big Bang Theory" video, promise!
60. Try to fly: FLAP. Cute clue. Cute cartoon:
62. Lisbon greeting: OLA. First off, in Portugal they call it
Lisboa; and most use the greeting "Bom Dia" especially in the hours between
dawn and early afternoon. I found that if you said "Obrigado" a lot it
was well-received by the Portuguese people
OK, that wraps up another blog from the Chairman. I'll see y'all in
early September. Between now and then I am having surgery on both hands
(Carpal Tunnel) so hopefully I will be able to type up my blog before
September 2
[a postscript] - on Monday Aug 2 there was an entry in the puzzle: "B
SIDE". In the comments that day, both Husker Gary and
Jinx in Norfolk referenced 45 RPM records. I recalled that in
addition to 45 RPM "singles", a few magazines experimented with enclosing a
cardboard record (about the size of a 45) in their publications. One
that apparently made me laugh (I was a young teenager at the time) was in Mad
Magazine. The "record's" title was "It's a Gas!" The video below
confirms that you can find most anything on YouTube!
