Theme: T-boned birds. See this answer grid where the birds are in aqua color. Four pair of birds are linked in a “T” shape in this clever theme. To demonstrate, I will show you the theme graphically. Notice that the crossing birds have exactly the same number of letters on each side of the "T", and each "T" is in a different orientation in the grid:
7D Escapade: LARK (Down). Just on a lark...
4A Get down: SWALLOW. Great clue!
SWALLOW
A
A
R
K
26D: Golfer's coup: EAGLE (Down). Even better, an "Ace"!
39A Dupe: GULL. "Gull" someone into doing something, or dupe them.
E
A
GULL
L
E
A
GULL
L
E
35D "Network" Oscar winner: FINCH (Down). Peter Finch, in the 1976 MGM satire.
43A Simpleton: LOON. Or, crazy one, suggested by it's weird cries.
F
I
LOON
C
H
I
LOON
C
H
58D Peacenik: DOVE (Down). Vs. the hawk.
71A Rogers Centre baseballer: BLUEJAY. Rogers Centre is formerly the Skydome, home of Toronto's team.
D
O
V
BLUEJAY
O
V
BLUEJAY
The unifier is found at
31D Ford spanning 50 years, or a hint to the four intersecting pairs of answers to the starred clues: T-BIRD. A classic, and the one reason I wanted my sister's boyfriend. He had one of these:
There were a couple bonus birds in this one:
44A Yeats’s “LEDA and the Swan”
34D Penguins may be seen on them: FLOES
Marti here, to see what else we can dig up...
Across:
1. Fool : SAP
11. Test site : LAB
14. Nasty mongrel : CUR
15. "SNL" castmate of Jane and 28-Down : LARAINE. Newman. Remember her?
16. Unfavorable : ILL. 'Tis an ill wind that blows no good...
17. It may be about nothing : ADO. Much ado about nothing.
18. Supervise : OVERSEE
19. Stooge with bangs : MOE
20. Beef with a bone : RIB STEAK. Do you have a bone to pick with this clue?
22. Needled at the dentist's office? : NUMBED. So, the dentist has your number?
24. Minor league rink org. : AHL. American Hockey League. The developmental circuit for the National Hockey League. But eddyB can expand for us!
25. Haagen-Dazs shop choice : CONE. Am I the only person in America who does not like ice cream?
26. Like custard : EGGY
29. Outer: Pref. : ECTO
32. Group of workers : STAFF
36. Baba with an ax : ALI. Remember the woodcutter who stole from thieves on Tuesday?
37. Decorative beer mug : TOBY. Various conjectures for the origin of the name, but probably from the character "Sir Toby Belch", a jovial drunkard in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night". Very collectible mugs, like this:
38. "That's ___ can say" : ALL I. (Oh, no....I have lots more to say!!)
41. Descendant : SCION
45. "...___put it bluntly..." : OR TO
46. '70s TV lawman Ramsey : HEC. Starring Richard Boone, it was an old-west forerunner to "CSI".
47. Red-coated cheeses : EDAMS
49. Mideast's Gulf of ___ : ADEN. Geography lesson of the day.
50. Dis : BASH. Slam, put down, back-bite, bad-mouth, decry, vilify....
51. Earth Friendly Products detergent : ECOS. With magnolia & lilies, lavender and lemongrass.
53. Coll. admissions criterion : GPA. Grade Point Average.
55. Thingy : DOODAD. Whatchamacallit...
58. Nuts : DERANGED. (It's all in your point of view. I think I am perfectly normal!)
63. Place with no vacancies, in Luke : INN. The bible, Luke 2:7, "...because there was no room for them in the inn."
64. Takeback agent, familiarly : REPO MAN. "Repossession" man, who takes your car if you don't make the payments on time!
66. Island neckwear : LEI. Combined with the greeting at 33D. South Pacific salutation : ALOHA
67. Messy place : STY. Why do pigs always get BASHed??
68. Brewery containers : ALE VATS.
69. Kind : ILK
70. Shell helmsman : COX. There's more to being the coxswain that yelling "row"! See here for a more complete list of commands and duties.
72. Famous last word? : BYE. Wait! I have more for you - don't leave yet!!
Down:
1. Injury memento : SCAR. OK, let's trade scar stories: Mine is a big slice across the bottom of my chin. I was sliding on an icy hill when I was ten, and came down hard on the front runner when I hit a huge jump. Yours?
2. Truth in Engineering sloganeer : AUDI. No competition for the T-Bird, as far as sex appeal goes!
3. "No ___" : PROB.
4. Upside-down branch hanger : SLOTH. "Bat" didn't fit.
5. Ripples : WAVELETS. Instead of wavelets last week in Florida, I was faced with "Red-flag" rip tide currents for four days. But, that didn't stop me from going in the water!
6. Field of knowledge : AREA.
8. Fleur-de-___ : LIS. My house has fleur-de-lis leaded glass windows on each floor, similar to this one:
9. Brief bridge bid : ONE NO. Usually signifying that the bidder has several high cards in more than two suits. Maybe Spitzboov can enlighten us on what type of hand he would bid with this opening?
10. Bairns : WEE-UNS. A Scottish affectation.
11. Life partner? : LIMB. I would risk life and limb to climb in the Alps, or swim in Florida rip-tides...
12. Natural burn soother : ALOE. I was smart, and used SPF 50 lotion last week, so I did not need the aloe!
13. Serviced, as a radiator : BLED. Many of our southern bloggers would have no clue about this. But believe me, having steam radiators bled in New England involves a hefty service fee!
21. "___ what?" : SAY
23. "Heavy" music : METAL. Black Sabbath comes to mind...
25. Hunter in a pack : COYOTE
27. Attached, in a way : GLUED
28. See 15-Across : GILDA. Radner. So sad to see such a talent die so young of ovarian cancer.
30. Winter beverages : COCOAS. (Um, what planet are you from? My winter beverages are hot toddies, with plenty of rum!)
40. Disabled, as a horse : LAMED
42. Unwelcome : NON GRATA. Like a persona...
48. Egyptian charm : SCARAB. Like this beetle.
50. Forbid : BAN
52. 1961 Newbery Medal winner Scott : O'DELL. He won for "Island of the Blue Dolphins", based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleno Indian left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island in the 19th century.
54. Cultivated violet : PANSY
55. Record : DISC. You young 'uns wouldn't know about those old-fashioned things, though. Now, it's all mp3 downloads!
56. Not duped by : ON TO
57. Cameo stone : ONYX
59. Key of the last movement of Mendelssohn's Op. 64 violin concerto : E MAJ. Not quite "heavy metal". For those of more classical tastes, here is the rendition by the great Heifitz, conducted by none other than Toscanini. The concerto starts in E Minor in the first "allegro" movement, switches to C Major in the "andante" second movement, and then a final change to E Major in the third "allegretto" movement.
60. Slick, as a speaker : GLIB
61. Slippery : EELY
62. Legendary Haarlem leaker : DIKE. I was thinking of the Harlem Globe Trotters, DUH!!! This clue refers to the dike that was plugged by the hero of Haarlem, in the story "Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates".
65. Little, in Lille: PEU. Just a little French word to finish off the day's offering!
Hugs,
Marti
Note from C.C.:Melissa and her daughter visited NY last month. Here are some wonderful photos from their trip. Click each one to enlarge. Melissa appears in photo 54. Look at photo 27, incredible! But which girl doesn't want to be at Serendipity?
Note from C.C.:Melissa and her daughter visited NY last month. Here are some wonderful photos from their trip. Click each one to enlarge. Melissa appears in photo 54. Look at photo 27, incredible! But which girl doesn't want to be at Serendipity?
