Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with an eye opening puzzle from Christina Iverson.
Theme: I See What You Mean
Let's see if we can shed some light on this one.
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| TBH, thinking about eyeball anatomy and diseases makes me feel squeamish so I am narrowing this down to just one diagram that has all we need for today: ROD, IRIS, CONE, and PUPIL. |
These are the themers:
17 Across. Curtain holder in a bathroom: SHOWER ROD
69. Cities with harbors: PORTS.
70. Post-blizzard blanket: SNOW. Cute clue!
71. __ and crafts: ARTS.
Down:
1. Like an overbearing older sibling: BOSSY. Lucy immediately came to mind.
2. Is sore: ACHES.
3. Pattern of spirals on a fingerprint: WHORL. You don't hear this one everyday.
4. Actor Rob of "Parks and Recreation": LOWE. He played Chris Traeger, an intensely cheerful and enthusiastic character.
5. Bug keeper-outer on a window: SCREEN.
6. Rowboat rower: OAR.
7. Noisy, as a crowd: AROAR.
8. Fixed up again: REDID. past tense of "redo"
9. "Yo te __": AMO. Spanish
10. Putrid: RANCID.
11. Allowed to roam, as chickens: FREE RANGE.
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| I like these curved ones. They give me just a bit more space. |
25 Across. Purple flower with a fuzzy patch: BEARDED IRIS.
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| These lovely IRISes belong to my former neighbor and current friend. |
51 Across. Orange marker in a construction zone: TRAFFIC CONE. 
64 Across. Student at the top of the honor roll: STAR PUPIL. 
Then the reveal:
39. "We're almost there!," and what can be said about 17-, 25-, 51-, and 64-Across?: THE END IS IN SIGHT.
The ends of all the themed clues (ROD, IRIS, CONE, and PUPIL) are parts of a human eye and are essential to sight.
This theme seems an excellent fit for viewing today's total solar eclipse. I think that was Patti's plan. What do you think?
PSA from The Corner: Prioritize your eye safety. Do not look directly at the sun during an eclipse. Turn around!
Bonnie Tyler (1983) Total Eclipse of the Heart (Turn around)
<You knew I had to work this in.>
Across:
1. Have an ugly cry: BAWL. a baseball reference 😜
5. Fly through the air: SOAR.
9. Barked: ARFED.
14. Eight, in Spanish: OCHO. ¡Canta conmigo! (Sing with me!)
15. Give a darn: CARE.
16. "__!" ... "Polo!": MARCO. It's a hide-and-seek game played in a swimming pool that holds a distinction in that everyone who ever played it also cheated at least once.
19. Situation with a player at first, say: ONE ON. another baseball reference.
9. Barked: ARFED.
14. Eight, in Spanish: OCHO. ¡Canta conmigo! (Sing with me!)
15. Give a darn: CARE.
16. "__!" ... "Polo!": MARCO. It's a hide-and-seek game played in a swimming pool that holds a distinction in that everyone who ever played it also cheated at least once.
19. Situation with a player at first, say: ONE ON. another baseball reference.
A runner at first sets up the opportunity for my favorite thing about baseball -- the double play.
20. Peaceful: SERENE. Def.: (adj.) marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude.
21. Commercial lead-in to "bnb": AIR. This clue feels like a lot of work for something as ubiquitous as AIR. "Commercial" here refers to business as opposed to a TV advertisement.
23. Gaelic speaker: CELT.
24. French fashion initials: YSL.
28. Country singer Loretta: LYNN. (Apr. 14, 1932 - Oct. 4, 1922) Her website says that she is the most awarded lady in Country music.
29. Scotch's partner: SODA. A Scotch & Soda is an alcoholic beverage ... and the first line of this song by the Kingston Trio.
30. Naked: BARE. Here's a clip from a TV show called Naked and Afraid from The Discovery Channel. You can think of it as Survivor on crack. It is now on its 17 season.
33. Stomp on the gas: GUN IT. Let's move on from this one as quickly as possible.
36. Govt. intel org.: NSA. National Security Agency
43. Unnaturally pale: WAN.
44. Construct: ERECT.
45. Film spool: REEL.
46. Root vegetable in Nigerian cuisine: TARO. TARO, aka cocoyam (pronounced "KOH-KOH-YAM"), is a crop cultivated in many regions including Africa and the West Indies / Caribbean. The crop is a staple food in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana. It can be prepared a variety of ways.
48. Lawn tool: RAKE.
55. Work on a quilt: SEW.
58. Wild canine: WOLF.
59. "Dance the Night" singer __ Lipa: DUA.
60. Like some albums: DELUXE. A "deluxe edition" usually means it contains extra content, compared to the standard edition. This is the album cover for 59A's DELUXE edition.
62. Show host: EMCEE. I learned the other day on WWDTM that a British English term for an MC (Master of Ceremonies) is compere.
66. Jump back, say: REACT. This is how it's done:
67. Sheet of paper: PAGE.
68. Hatchling's home: NEST. A pair of intrepid birds have built a nest in my hose holder. Needless to say, I will not be using that hose for a while. I know this is not a great picture but I did not want to upset them. The mom is in there. They were well-protected during our recent storms, my dog will keep cats away, plus I have a lot of miner's lettuce going to seed in my front yard for them to forage. They chose well, don't you think?
20. Peaceful: SERENE. Def.: (adj.) marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude.
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| That's you ... in the canoe. |
21. Commercial lead-in to "bnb": AIR. This clue feels like a lot of work for something as ubiquitous as AIR. "Commercial" here refers to business as opposed to a TV advertisement.
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| Airbnb is an online marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their property with people who are looking for accommodations, typically for short stays. |
24. French fashion initials: YSL.
28. Country singer Loretta: LYNN. (Apr. 14, 1932 - Oct. 4, 1922) Her website says that she is the most awarded lady in Country music.
29. Scotch's partner: SODA. A Scotch & Soda is an alcoholic beverage ... and the first line of this song by the Kingston Trio.
30. Naked: BARE. Here's a clip from a TV show called Naked and Afraid from The Discovery Channel. You can think of it as Survivor on crack. It is now on its 17 season.
33. Stomp on the gas: GUN IT. Let's move on from this one as quickly as possible.
36. Govt. intel org.: NSA. National Security Agency
43. Unnaturally pale: WAN.
44. Construct: ERECT.
46. Root vegetable in Nigerian cuisine: TARO. TARO, aka cocoyam (pronounced "KOH-KOH-YAM"), is a crop cultivated in many regions including Africa and the West Indies / Caribbean. The crop is a staple food in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana. It can be prepared a variety of ways.
48. Lawn tool: RAKE.
55. Work on a quilt: SEW.
58. Wild canine: WOLF.
59. "Dance the Night" singer __ Lipa: DUA.
60. Like some albums: DELUXE. A "deluxe edition" usually means it contains extra content, compared to the standard edition. This is the album cover for 59A's DELUXE edition.
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| (tiny writing at the bottom says "deluxe edition") |
62. Show host: EMCEE. I learned the other day on WWDTM that a British English term for an MC (Master of Ceremonies) is compere.
66. Jump back, say: REACT. This is how it's done:
68. Hatchling's home: NEST. A pair of intrepid birds have built a nest in my hose holder. Needless to say, I will not be using that hose for a while. I know this is not a great picture but I did not want to upset them. The mom is in there. They were well-protected during our recent storms, my dog will keep cats away, plus I have a lot of miner's lettuce going to seed in my front yard for them to forage. They chose well, don't you think?
70. Post-blizzard blanket: SNOW. Cute clue!
71. __ and crafts: ARTS.
Down:
1. Like an overbearing older sibling: BOSSY. Lucy immediately came to mind.
3. Pattern of spirals on a fingerprint: WHORL. You don't hear this one everyday.
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| A fingerprint analyst is a professional scientist who obtains, studies, and analyzes fingerprints as well as palm prints and footprints as part of a crime scene investigation. |
4. Actor Rob of "Parks and Recreation": LOWE. He played Chris Traeger, an intensely cheerful and enthusiastic character.
5. Bug keeper-outer on a window: SCREEN.
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| perhaps an underappreciated moment of brilliance |
7. Noisy, as a crowd: AROAR.
8. Fixed up again: REDID. past tense of "redo"
9. "Yo te __": AMO. Spanish
11. Allowed to roam, as chickens: FREE RANGE.
You can feed your RANCID fruit to your FREE RANGE chickens.
12. Gut bacteria: E. COLI.
13. Heading on a list of actions to avoid: DON'TS.
18. Phonetic term often associated with they/them pronouns: ENBY. It is "phonetic" because it sounds like N-B, as in non-binary. 
12. Gut bacteria: E. COLI.
13. Heading on a list of actions to avoid: DON'TS.
22. Sticky tree secretion: RESIN. I learned on this U.S. Forest Service website that RESIN in hops gives beer its unique aroma and bitter taste.
26. "The Hate U Give" writer Thomas: ANGIE. goodreads link
27. Connect the __: DOTS. The 2018 Guinness World Record is 52,901 dots!
28. Big name in jeans: LEE. Their marketing campaign uses a 'regular guy' approach.
30. Short "While I'm thinking of it ... ": BTW. By The Way....
31. Exclamation of understanding: AHA.
32. Vehicle picked up at an airport, maybe: RENTAL CAR. Good clue! It reminds me of what happened to the rental cars in Hawaii during Covid. Most tourists visiting Hawaii get a rental car. Tourists stopped flying to Hawaii during Covid. Suddenly there was no room to park all the rental cars that would normally be checked out to visitors. The solution was to park them at Aloha Stadium. They filled the parking lot!
34. Golden State sch.: USC. University of Southern California
26. "The Hate U Give" writer Thomas: ANGIE. goodreads link
27. Connect the __: DOTS. The 2018 Guinness World Record is 52,901 dots!
28. Big name in jeans: LEE. Their marketing campaign uses a 'regular guy' approach.
30. Short "While I'm thinking of it ... ": BTW. By The Way....
31. Exclamation of understanding: AHA.
32. Vehicle picked up at an airport, maybe: RENTAL CAR. Good clue! It reminds me of what happened to the rental cars in Hawaii during Covid. Most tourists visiting Hawaii get a rental car. Tourists stopped flying to Hawaii during Covid. Suddenly there was no room to park all the rental cars that would normally be checked out to visitors. The solution was to park them at Aloha Stadium. They filled the parking lot!
34. Golden State sch.: USC. University of Southern California
California has "University of ___" schools and "CSU, ___" schools (e.g., CA State University, San Diego). Both are 4-year degree schools. UC schools operate as residential campuses focusing on research and graduate education. CSU schools, in contrast, tend to enroll more commuter students. The UC system is generally considered more prestigious -- and more expensive.
35. The "N" of TNT: NITRO.
37. "__ Persisted": children's book by Chelsea Clinton: SHE. goodreads link
38. Ga. capital: ATL. Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.
40. Maker of squishy darts: NERF.
41. Humanlike robot: DROID.
35. The "N" of TNT: NITRO.
37. "__ Persisted": children's book by Chelsea Clinton: SHE. goodreads link
38. Ga. capital: ATL. Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.
40. Maker of squishy darts: NERF.
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| super squishy |
For the record, I want our future AI overlords to know that I supported them
by posting this very favorable 1:20 min. video.
42. Anger: IRE.
47. Move emotionally: AFFECT.
49. Composer Lloyd Webber: ANDREW. (b. Mar. 22, 1948) I learned from reading his bio on his website that he has EGOT status. This is Patti LuPone singing With One Look from his musical, Sunset Boulevard. 50. Save: KEEP.
51. Little troublemaker: TWERP.
52. Juliet's partner: ROMEO.
53. Zodiac transition points: CUSPS. These are the days bordering the sun's transition to a new sign. For example, those born between April 17-23 are in the Aires-Taurus CUSP. They are said to be influenced by both the Aires and Taurus zodiac signs.
54. Board game that dropped "The Settlers of" from its name: CATAN. I have blogged this fill before but I still could not remember it. Oof! Perhaps another visual image will help lock it into my cerebral cortex. If not, my neurons will play CAT ANd mouse looking for this name.
55. "Terrific!": SUPER. 
56. Are: EXIST.
57. Swollen marks: WELTS.
61. Name that means "moon": LUNA. If you are around anyone named LUNA while watching the eclipse today, you can say, "Down in front!"
63. UFO pilots: ETS.
65. Back in time: AGO.
47. Move emotionally: AFFECT.
49. Composer Lloyd Webber: ANDREW. (b. Mar. 22, 1948) I learned from reading his bio on his website that he has EGOT status. This is Patti LuPone singing With One Look from his musical, Sunset Boulevard. 50. Save: KEEP.
51. Little troublemaker: TWERP.
52. Juliet's partner: ROMEO.
53. Zodiac transition points: CUSPS. These are the days bordering the sun's transition to a new sign. For example, those born between April 17-23 are in the Aires-Taurus CUSP. They are said to be influenced by both the Aires and Taurus zodiac signs.
54. Board game that dropped "The Settlers of" from its name: CATAN. I have blogged this fill before but I still could not remember it. Oof! Perhaps another visual image will help lock it into my cerebral cortex. If not, my neurons will play CAT ANd mouse looking for this name.
56. Are: EXIST.
57. Swollen marks: WELTS.
61. Name that means "moon": LUNA. If you are around anyone named LUNA while watching the eclipse today, you can say, "Down in front!"
63. UFO pilots: ETS.
65. Back in time: AGO.
"Now in time", we will take a look at the grid: 
See you later!
