Tuesday September 24, 2024 Norman M Aaronson

Tiny Bubbles.  Notice that each theme answer is in the Down position and the first word of each answer is in circles.  The circles Bubble Up and the word in the circles can be a type of a Bubble.

3-Down. Melodramatic series: SOAP OPERA.  Soap Bubbles.

5-Down. Professional who helps correct communication disorders: SPEECH THERAPIST.  Speech Bubbles.

9-Down. Summer coolers: AIR CONDITIONERS.  Air Bubbles.

And the unifier:

36-Down. Rises to the top, or what can be found in this puzzle?: BUBBLES UP.  YooperPhil reminded me that there is a soda called BubbleUp.  

Across:

1. Flat-topped landform: MESA.  Everything you wanted to know about Mesas but didn't know to ask.

5. South Pacific island group: SAMOA.  The Samoa Islands look like a paradise in the pacific.

10. Wraparound dress in Hindi cinema: SARI.  I just The Henna Artist, by Alka Joshi, which delves into Indian culture in the 1950s.  The author describes in detail the wearing of Saris and the meaning of various materials and designs of the dress.

14. Nutrient in leafy greens: IRON.

15. St. __ Girl beer: PAULI.  St. Pauli Girl Beer is a German beer.  The name comes from the former St. Paul's Friary in Bremen, which was next to the original St. Pauli brewery established.  St Pauli Girl's Beers has been available in the United States since 1965.  The beers are brewed in compliance with the German Purity Laws of 1516.

16. Like most Olympic years: EVEN.

17. Super-vision?: X-RAY.

18. Enthusiastic: EAGER.

19. Mr. Peanut accessory: CANE.

20. Congressional helper: PAGE.

22. More frightening: SCARIER.

24. "No seats" B'way sign: SRO.  As in Standing Room Only.

26. Sch. near Hollywood: UCLA.  As in the University of California, Los Angeles.  The UCLA Bruins lost to the LSU Tigers last Saturday in Death Valley.

29. Eggy brunch dish: OMELET.  Yummers!

30. Store with printing services: COPY SHOP.

32. Small quibble: NIT.

33. Under the covers: ABED.

34. Coarse woolens: TWEEDS.  This has become a crossword staple that appears often in the Tuesday puzzles.

36. Chem. in some plastics: BPA.  As in BisPhenol A.  Bisphenol A is a chemical compound used in the manufacturing of various plastics. It is a colourless solid which is soluble in most common organic solvents, but has very poor solubility in water.  BPA is produced on an industrial scale by the condensation reaction of phenol and acetone.  

39. Cayenne automaker: PORSCHE.  Everything you should know about the Porsche Cayenne before finalizing the purchase.

41. Sniffler's boxful: TISSUES.

43. Approx. affected by weather: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.  Heavy rain or a snow storm can delay travel time.

44. "Be that as it may": YES, BUT.

46. Online bidding site: E-BAY.

47. Downtime, briefly: RNR.  As in Rest and Relaxation.

48. Like content that can be revised: EDITABLE.  Not to be confused with Edible, although that, too, would "revise" the content.

50. Tater Tots brand: ORE-IDA.  Yummers!  Who doesn't like Tater Tots.

53. "Ouch!": YEOW.

54. "__ the games begin!": LET.

55. Harmonica ancestor: PANPIPE.

57. Smeller: NOSE.

59. Sitting on: ATOP.

60. "Who knew!": I'LL BE.

63. "NFL Primetime" network: ESPN.  The name of the network, which was established in 1979, originally was named Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.  The name was so long that in 1985, it was renamed to just ESPN.

66. Aggravate: RILE.

67. Makeup mishap: SMEAR.

68. Ballet skirt: TUTU.

69. Pond croaker: TOAD.

70. __ down: softens: TONES.

71. Tiff: SPAT.

Down:

1. Stir: MIX.

2. Be off the mark: ERR.

4. Taylor-Joy of "The Menu": ANYA.  Can you believe that we made it all the way to 4-Down before encountering a person?  The Menu is a comedy thriller about a couple who trek to remote island to sample a lavish $1,250/person menu.  Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy (b. Apr. 16, 1996) portrays one of the diners.  [Name # 1.]

6. Duracell size: AAA.

7. Coffee holder: MUG.

8. Fútbol cheers: OLÉs.  This has become a crossword staple.

10. Hidden: SECRET.

11. To no __: without success: AVAIL.

12. "Girls5eva" co-star __ Elise Goldsberry: RENÉE.  I am familiar with neither Girls5eva, a television musical comedy, nor Renée Elise Goldsberry (b. Jan. 2, 1971).  [Name # 2.]

13. Dormant: INERT.

21. Director Van Sant: GUS.  Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (b. July 24, 1952) has directed many films, including the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, which launched the careers of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.  [Name # 3.]

23. Not quite correct: AMISS.

24. Garlic stalk available at springtime farmers markets: SCAPE.  What are Garlic Scapes?

25. Automaton: ROBOT.

27. Home Depot rival: LOWES.

28. Mimic: APE.

31. Fabric store meas.: YDS.  Fabric is sold by the Yard.

35. Piano practice piece: ÉTUDE.

37. Writer Norman Vincent __: PEALE.  Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 ~ Dec. 24, 1993) was a theologian, but is best known for his book The Power of Positive Thinking.  [Name # 4.]

38. Thus far: AS YET.

40. Singer Lauper: CYNDI.  Cyndi Lauper (née Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper; b. June 22, 1953) was big in 1980s.   Her 1983 debut album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  [Name # 5.]

42. Mediterranean __: SEA.

45. "Queen __": pop music nickname: BEY.  Also known as Beyoncé (née Beyoncé Giselle Knowles; b. Sept. 4, 1981).  [Name # 6.]

47. Very muscular: RIPPED.

49. Pair: TWO.

50. Visually stimulating images: OP ART.

51. Quantitative comparison: RATIO.

52. Sherlock's teen sister: ENOLA.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not create Enola Holmes.  She was added to the family later.  [Name # 7, Fictional.]

56. Red resident of Sesame Street: ELMO.  [Name # 8, Fictional.]

58. Gels: SETS.

61. Actor Cariou: LEN.  Leonard Joseph Cariou (b. Sept. 30, 1939) is a Canadian actor.  I recognize him from his recurring role on Murder, She Wrote.  [Name # 9.]

62. Sweetie: BAE.

64. Sch. support group: PTA.  As in the Parent Teacher Association.

65. Pecan or cashew: NUT.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday September 23, 2024 Stella Zawistowski

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here, poised to walk with you down the red carpet. 

Theme:          Crossword Style

Diane von Furstenberg dress ($558 at Nordstrom) 

Let's buckle down, roll up our sleeves, and get to work at solving today's clues. First, the three themers:

20 Across. Pricey booze at a bar: TOP SHELF LIQUOR.  TOP SHELF is not a brand name of LIQUOR nor is it a category of LIQUOR. Instead, it refers to the common practice of arranging LIQUOR bottles behind the bar so that the most expensive brands are on the TOP shelves, medium-priced brands are in the middle, and lower-priced brands are on the bottom shelves.  

33 Across. Power tool for smoothing wood: BELT SANDER.

I thought this video about the New England BELT SANDER Racing Association was fun. (3:29 min.)  

40 Across. Beef often used for carne asada: SKIRT STEAK.  

The SKIRT STEAK is a cut of beef that comes from the plate (below the animal's ribs). It is not very tender so it is usually prepared by running it through a tenderizer machine and/or soaking it in a marinade.

The images on this SKIRT are STEAKs with the words "Well done!".

Then the reveal:

49 Across. On the cutting edge of style, or what 20-, 33-, and 40-Across can be said to be?: FASHION FORWARD.

Something that is FASHION FORWARD is characterized by the latest trends in fashion.

Also, TOPs, BELTs, and SKIRTs are all clothing items (FASHION) at the front (FORWARD) of the themed answers. 

I tip my hat to Stella for her fun theme and excellent variety in the meanings of TOP, BELT, and SKIRT . Let's see what else she has ready for us to try on:

Across:
1. Covertly included on an email: BCC'D.  This means the email was also sent to someone whose name is not visible in the primary address box.  

5. Female pigs: SOWS.

9. Enjoy a novel: READ.  

13. Bedside clock feature: ALARM.

15. Declare with assurance: AVOW.  It has been a while since I looked up the difference between AVOW and aver. To aver is to verify and to avow is to say it publicly. They overlap when we want to state the truth (aver) so that the whole world can hear (avow).

16. __ of Wight: ISLE.  a brief history of England's largest island

(Click to enlarge.)

17. "Aquaman" star Jason: MOMOA.  He has waded through a few previous grids.

18. Mighty wind: GALE.  

19. Fill until full: SATE.

23. Chimney buildup: SOOT.  Here is Dick Van Dyke singing Chim Chim Cher-ee in the movie Mary Poppins (1964).

24. Greek letter after sigma: TAU.  

25. Climb: ASCEND.

28. Periodic table components: ELEMENTS.  I love this idea for a shower!  

35. Horror filmmaker Aster: ARI. I have not seen any of his movies. You can find a list on his IMDb page.

36. Vietnam neighbor: LAOS.  

37. Ore-__ Tater Tots: IDA.  I have always liked those videos that show the production process. Apparently my high school Ag Science teacher did, too, because we watched a lot of them...or maybe he just was not into lesson planning. 🤔 Here is one about Ore-Ida French fries. (3:45 min.)  

38. "Frozen" character with antlers: SVEN.  Sven is a reindeer who lives with his buddy, Kristoff. Spoiler alert:  Kristoff proposes to Anna at the end of Frozen 2.  

39. Shade tree: ELM.

43. Witty banter: REPARTEE.  Fun word! When it comes to witty banter in a TV show, it is hard to beat The West Wing (1999-2006). (3:24 min.)   

46. Pops, as a bubble: BURSTS.  

47. Nat __ Wild: GEO.  National Geographic Wild is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society. The channel primarily focuses on wildlife and natural history non-fiction programming.

48. Naive one: BABE.  For example, the noun phrase BABE in the woods is used to describe someone who is innocent or who lacks experience.

56. Pixar film set on the Italian Riviera: LUCA.  Here is the trailer for this 2021 film (1:26 min.). Luca 2 is scheduled to be released in 2027. 

57. Buddhist teacher: GURU.  

58. Love, in Italian: AMORE.  

That's Amore   ~   Dean Martin   ~   1953

60. Flight sked nos.: ETAS.  "Schedule" and "numbers" are abbreviated, so is "Estimated Times of Arrival".

61. Perfect place: EDEN.  

62. Oman neighbor: YEMEN.  

63. "__ count on it!": DON'T.  

64. Tournament rank: SEED.

65. Andy who coaches the Chiefs: REID.  Today we had READ and REID. The latter does not follow the "i before e except after c" rule.

Down:

1. Impact sound: BAM.

2. Coagulate: CLOT.

3. Inconspicuous gear, for short: CAMO.  

Can you see the CAMOuflaged owl?

4. Bodybuilding sequences that reduce weights incrementally: DROP SETS.  Here's the gouge.

5. Bob of "Full House": SAGET.  (1956-2022)

6. Shape of some platters: OVAL.

7. "The Three Little Pigs" canine: WOLF.  

You'll get this one if you are familiar with Angry Birds.

8. Suffer in the heat: SWELTER.

9. NSFW, perhaps: RISQUE.  Not Safe For Work usually applies to a meme you would not want on your monitor should your boss walk in the door behind you.

10. Biblical twin of Jacob: ESAU.

11. The "A" of the choir shorthand SATB: ALTO.  Soprano, ALTO, Tenor, and Bass

12. Forest dweller: DEER.  Apparently they like the ocean, too. This video of DEER playing on Pebble Beach in CA went viral last year. (1:40 min.)  

14. Stoneworkers: MASONS.  difference between a mason and a bricklayer

21. Kotb of "Today": HODA.  Like Issa Rae, both Hoda's first and last names make for good crossword fill.

22. Possible answer to "Who's ready?": I AM.

25. Better trained: ABLER.

26. Bobby of the Black Panthers: SEALE.  Born Robert George Seale in 1936 in Liberty, TX, he co-founded the Black Panther Party with Huey P. Newton in 1966.

27. Apt rhyme for "stomp": CLOMP.  To CLOMP is to walk with heavy, loud steps.

28. Oscar winner Redmayne: EDDIE.  Born Edward John David Redmayne in London, England in 1982, Eddie won an Oscar in 2015 for portraying Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. He was also nominated the following year for The Danish Girl.

29. King who banished Cordelia: LEAR.  In Shakespeare's King Lear, Cordelia is one of King Lear's three daughters. Basically she is banished because she has more integrity than her shallow sisters. Yes, her father later regrets his actions.

30. Places for pews: NAVES.  A NAVE is a section of a church.  

31. Good dog's reward: TREAT.  

Snuffles is a Hanna-Barbera character from Quick Draw McGraw.

32. Goes below the surface: SINKS.  The Archimedes Principle explains whether or not something should sink in a liquid. When you drop ravioli into a pot of boiling water, they sink because they are denser than water. As they cook, they expand and their density decreases. When their density becomes less than water, they float. Eureka!

34. Maker of Vomero and Air Max sneakers: NIKE.  Both are styles of shoes made by Nike.

38. Gamer going live on Twitch, say: STREAMER.  Twitch is an internet platform where people can share "in real life" streams. For example, it is a popular place to share your screen while you play a video game. It was founded in 2011 and is a subsidiary of Amazon. Now that you know that, it is easy to break down the clue:  Gamer (someone playing a video game) going live (streaming) on Twitch (website).  more about Twitch  

40. Classic slapstick trio: STOOGES.  CSO to Chairman Moe!

41. Chairlift predecessor, at some ski resorts: T-BAR.

42. Rapid transit option: SUBWAY.

44. Shocked and appalled: AGHAST.

45. Outdoor gear giant: REI.  I am a member of this co-op and have made a pilgrimage to the 'mothership' store in Seattle.

48. __ for greatness: BOUND.  

49. Skipped town: FLED.  

Mac Davis   ~   Texas in my Review Mirror   ~   1974

50. Wheels: AUTO.  I wanted this to be "ride" because that would be a slang answer matched to a slang clue.

51. Look over quickly: SCAN.  I love my ScanSnap scanner. If you do a lot of scanning, that is your tool.

52. Spanx shade: NUDE.  Spanx is a brand of shapewear (tight-fitting underwear intended to control and shape one's figure). No one says "girdle" anymore.

53. Unoccupied: FREE.  This could be said of an empty chair, conference room, or perhaps an empty port-a-john.

54. City that surrounds Vatican City: ROME.

55. German three: DREI.  

59. Conclusion: END.  Bonus points for this proper ENDing!

Here's the grid, all dressed up:

Before I go, I want to extend happy birthday wishes to waseeley's DW and blogging assistant, Teri!  🎂 We appreciate your contributions every week!