17. Like him or her : THIRD PERSON.
30. Reagan/Carter debate catchphrase : THERE YOU GO AGAIN.
44. Fail completely : TAKE IT ON THE CHIN.
57. Weakening, in a way, or what 17-, 30- and 44-Across are literally doing : WEARING THIN. Each of the theme entries is "wrapped" in the word THIN. The word is broken in three different ways, which is a good thing. Let's see what else Steve has thrown at us this week.
Across:
1. Limo rider : CELEB.rity. Short limosine, short VIP.
6. Skilled : ADEPT.
11. Old map letters : SSR.
14. Smetana's "The Bartered Bride," e.g. : OPERA. "Aida" would have been too easy for a Thursday. But this comic opera is one of the Czech Republic's most famous. Although I personally enjoy the overture, Act II features lovely Czech folk music. 4:14
15. Super Mario World dinosaur : YOSHI. No clue.
16. Own, to Burns : HA'E.
19. Morticia's cousin : ITT. "The Addam's Family."
20. Roman sun god : SOL.
21. Bon __ : MOT. French for "witty remark."
22. Years in Madrid : ANOS.
23. Campfire remains : ASH.
26. Cleaning tool : MOP.
28. Easily perturbed : ORNERY. I think of ORNERY as mean-tempered or stubborn.
34. Disney film based on Chinese folklore : MULAN.
35. Steed's partner : MRS. PEEL. Great misdirection for "The Avengers."
36. Giant thing in a kids' game : STEP. Complete instructions for "Mother May I?" here.
37. Problem with pictures : REBUS. Another great misdirection. Literally, a problem, that uses pictures. Narragansett beer put out a series of coasters with rebus puzzles on them. See how many you can figure out here. (***Answers, below.)
38. Neeson of "Taken" : LIAM.
41. "Dead Souls" novelist Gogol : NIKOLAI.
43. Summation symbol in math : SIGMA.
47. Mobster's code of honor : OMERTA.
48. Bart, to Homer : SON. Man, will I ever sort out all these characters?
49. __-Mex : TEX. Burritos and tacos and chili (Oh my!)
50. "Alice" diner : MEL'S.
51. Nonetheless, briefly : THO.
54. "Oedipus __" : REX.
56. Completely : ALL.
62. Inconclusive result : TIE.
63. Edmonton skater : OILER. Do you follow hockey, CanadianEh! ?
64. Gladiator's venue : ARENA.
65. Row : OAR.
66. First name on a historic B-29 : ENOLA.
67. Long and lean : LANKY.
Down:
1. Base bed : COT. Aha! Here's the COT I was looking for at 1-A on Tuesday!
2. Bk. before Philippians : EPH.esians.
3. Hawaiian ring : LEI.
4. Messes up : ERRS.
5. 13, to many : BAD OMEN.
6. Sailor's agreement : AYE.
7. Temporary quarters : DORM.
8. Canadian gas brand : ESSO. It's Exxon in the US of A.
9. Occasions for shooting stars? : PHOTO OPS. Cute clue.
10. Its chemical symbol is Sn : TIN.
11. Illuminate, with "on" : SHINE A LIGHT.
12. Zen enlightenment : SATORI.
13. Certs ingredient : RETSYN. Remember these ads?
18. Sneaky tactic : PLOY.
22. Like cherubs : ANGELIC.
23. Alternatives to tellers, briefly : ATMs.
24. Close : SHUT.
25. "Light in My Darkness" author : HELEN KELLER.
27. Grapefruit cousin : POMELO. Have you ever had Pomelo wine? Very fresh and zingy.
29. Singer Carly __ Jepsen : RAE. "Call Me Maybe."
31. Slender swords : RAPIERS.
32. Like some legends : URBAN.
33. Columbia garb : G SUITS. The space shuttle Columbia, not the school in NY. Not to be confused with G Strings.
37. Add gradually to a cycle : ROTATE IN.
39. Gallic girlfriend : AMIE.
40. Tailless feline : MANX.
42. Young fox : KIT.
43. Dakar is its capital : SENEGAL.
44. __ paste : TOMATO. I used to always end up with half a can of tomato paste that would just turn moldy and eventually get thrown out. Now I take a piece of saran wrap, plop tablespoons of paste onto it, cover with another piece of saran wrap, and stick it in the freezer. Once frozen, I put it into a freezer bag - whenever I need a tbsp of paste, I just cut one of the blobs off the saran warp and put the rest back in the freezer.
45. Bloomer of bloomers fame : AMELIA.
46. __ of plenty : HORN. I always have one of these on my Thanksgiving table.
52. Radiant ring : HALO.
53. Hershiser of ESPN : OREL.
55. Ad come-on word : XTRA.
57. Angst : WOE.
58. Portfolio holding, briefly : IRA.
59. Egg layer : HEN.
60. Octopus' defense : INK.
61. Bit of Senate dissension : NAY.
***Click here for the answers to the Narragansett rebus puzzles.
'Til next week!
Marti
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Don G, who turns 60 years old today! I was so lucky and privileged to be mentored by Don.
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| Don & his wife Barbie |
