Theme: Hot as Ice. 3:17 Each of the theme entries uses just the opposite of the normal phrase, in terms of "temperature". So, definitely a "climate change".
17A.Tropical roadside area? : HOT SHOULDER. O.K. guys (and gals), 'fess up: how many of you have received the "Cold shoulder", lately??? If I were in Cancun, I think the "shoulder" of the road might be quite hot.
23A.Roughly, San Jose's population acting friendly? : WARM MILLION. I'd like to have a "Cool million" in my bank account right now. San Jose actually has a population of 945,942 people as of the latest census. So, "roughly" a million...and I hear they are quite friendly!
45A.Sentiments from a hepcat? : COOL REGARDS. I sign my emails to close associates "Fond Regards", but I guess it would be just as appropriate to say "Warm regards". If I were a hepcat, I guess I could be cool...
53A.Polar exploration? : COLD PURSUIT. Have you ever watched "Bad Boys" on cable? The cops are often in "Hot pursuit" of perps (that is, "perpetrators"). (...not to be confused with "perpendiculars", or "crossing" answers, as referred to on this blog...). But, if I were like Ernest Shackleton, I might think twice about making another cold polar pursuit!
The unifier sits in the middle of this grid:
35A.Environmental concern...and what's happening in 17-, 23-. 45- and 53- Across?: CLIMATE CHANGE ("Global warming" fits, as well...and gave me fits, until I corrected it with the perps !!).
Very unusual grid design, so let's look at what it holds...
Across:
1.Blood typing system : ABO. Right off the bat, a clue I can relate to! I am A+. Do you know your blood type? And
4.Sea once dotted with 1,500-plus islands : ARAL.
13.Prince, to Cecil Fielder : SON...OK, C.C., you got me here. I was thinking of the singer "Prince", who was born to John Nelson (so, was he a nephew of Cecil?... maybe a cousin??) But of course, this is a C.C.-Don G. collaboration, and I should have known that they were referring to the father of the Detroit Tigers first baseman "Prince" Fielder...
14.Discman maker : SONY
15.Name that means "pretty" : BONNIE. Is she bonnie?
16.Topeka-to-St. Paul direction : NNE
19.Morales of "Jericho" : ESAI
22.Ryder Cup team : USA. The other team is Europe. The players compete for no money, just for the victory!
27.Hazardous current : RIP. R.I.P. anyone who dares venture into such a current!
28.Stick on a stake : IMPALE. Maybe I can give you a better visual if you just picture a marshmallow being toasted on a stake...
29.Bog : MIRE
30.Unfair wear? : RAIN HAT. In weather that's not fair, in order to save your hair!
34.Literary miscellanea : ANAS
38.Sound of pain or pleasure : MOAN. OK, I won't go DF here...
39.Satisfied : CONTENT (...moan)
40.___ above : A CUT
41.Don's code : OMERTA. The so-called "code of silence" in the Sicilian Mafia.
44.Sharp-toothed fish : GAR. Fish with long jaws, filled with long sharp teeth.
50.Curling venue : ICE. The game of "curling". I wanted something to do with a salon or spa...
51.Frizzy do : AFRO. Now, that's curly!
52.Peel : PARE
58.London-born miler : COE. Runner Sebastian.
62.Works at the docks, say : LADES
63.Email folder : SENT
64.Hovel : STY
Down:
1. Comparably fresh : AS NEW...as a daisy?
Down:
1. Comparably fresh : AS NEW...as a daisy?
2. Tree in a tray : BONSAI
3. Like macho push-ups : ONE ARM. Not to be confused with these bandits...
4. Lenten symbol : ASH. The first day of lent is Ash Wednesday, for Catholics. Coming up on February 22.
5. Short hopper : ROO. Short for "kangaroo", not that we are referring to their diminutive stature!
6. Scout on the floor, perhaps : ANT. Thank goodness, ant season is over (for now) here in New England. (From C.C.: Hi there Ant. For you: Waiting to bat/the hitter swats/a swarm of gnats)
7. It helps you clean up : LYSOL. I'd rather have a maid, thank you.
8. Where Monet's cathedral series was painted : ROUEN. One of my favorite series. Just look at the different nuances in light and texture!
9. Commercial development done in one hr.? : ENL. Oh, photo development! Enlargement: "hr." is the abbreviation hint.
10. Permanent : ENDURING
11. Judgement day poem : DIES IRAE. If you really want to hear the words, go here. If you just want to have fun, go here.
12. Colorful shawls : SERAPES
15. Clod : BOZO. Predecessor to Ronald McDonal?
18. ___ polloi : HOI. From Greek, meaning "the many"
20. Evidence in a rug : IMPRINT. Oh, not burns?
24. Polite address : MA'AM
25. Like a pelvic artery : ILIAC
26. Slow, to Yo-Yo : LENTO. Yo-Yo Ma, world-famous conductor. His paternal ancestry can be traced back eighteen generations to the year 1217. (Update: I meant to say "cellist", not conductor!)
29. Femme fatale : MAN TRAP.
31. Layer : HEN. Cute clue!
32. Player : ACTOR
33. Amusement park focus : THEME.
35. Minute Maid parent company : COCA COLA
36. Adorned with a wreath : LAURELED
38. Like a charm, maybe : MAGICAL
42. Evidence in the snow : TRACKS. I love looking out my kitchen window after a snowstorm, and seeing the rabbit tracks across the back yard.
43. Skillful : ADROIT
45. Guitar tone changers : CAPOS. This was the style that my old pal Pat and I used in the '60s:
46. "Just the Two ___":1981 hit : OF US. Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton. Sighhh...if I have to. Here is the hit song from their album. Oh wait, the clue referred to the 1981 hit. Hmmm, that would be "More Than Just the Two of Us" by Sneaker?? (Ahhh, that's more like it!)
47. Immortal among hockey defensemen : ORR. Boston Bruin and crossword immortal.
48. Wins the battle of the bulge, ironically : LOSES
49. Five-star opposite? : SEEDY. HaHa, funny clue!
54. Rap's Dr. ___ : DRE. I'll let Len go there...
55. "What's the ___?" : USE
56. Author Fleming : IAN
57. "For shame!" : TUT. Tut, tut...don't tell me you didn't finish this one? (It's no shame-it was definitely a Thursday challenge!!)
Happy Ground Hog Day, everyone!
Hugs,
Marti
Constructors’ note from C.C.:
Constructors’ note from C.C.:
"I thought it would be fun to replace COLD, COOL, WARM & HOT in 2-word phrases with their opposites and have CLIMATE CHANGE as a unifier. CLIMATE CHANGE has 13 letters, tough to place in the end when we have 5 theme entries. So Don and I decided to put it in the middle and have other theme entries in descending degrees with warmth."
