Theme: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER. A catchy ad phrase is reinterpreted as statements that can lead to a continuing conversation. Do any of you have friends who can ramble on and on? If so, you might dread hearing these words.
17. "Wait, there's more ... " : COME TO THINK OF IT. Darn, he thought of something else.
27. "Wait, there's more ... " : BEFORE I FORGET. Drat, too late.
50. "Wait, there's more ... " : THAT REMINDS ME. Well, doesn't everything?
65. "Wait, there's more ... " : AND ANOTHER THING. Uh-oh. Now he's on a roll.
No unifier, but the common clue fills that function. And the theme entries really need no explanation.
Today's Theme Song
Hi, Gang -- JazzBumpa here with a nice puzzle by the veteran team of Gail and Bruce. I'll try not to get carried away with a boring exposition.
Across
1. Windows precursor : MS DOS. PC operating systems.
6. Hard-to-control groups : MOBS. Large and disorderly crowds.
10. Forensic investigator's item : SWAB. An absorbent pad or other item used for collecting samples to be analyzed.
14. Advil alternative : ALEVE. Analgesics. Advil is ibuprofen; ALEVE is naproxen.
15. Pair on a lake : OARS. In a boat on a lake.
16. Place to slog through : MIRE. Swamp, bog, fen.
20. Hullabaloo : STIR. Much ado about something.
21. Barry White genre : SOUL.
22. Dossier cover? : ALIAS. A dossier is a collection of documents about a particular event, subject, or, in this case, person. An ALIAS is an alternate name or false identity, which is, in some sense, a cover. Still, this entry is not working for me. Am I being dumb?
23. "Boy, am I dumb!" : D'OH.
25. Touch the ground : LAND. In an aircraft, presumably at an airport. Vide infra.
33. Airline with the MileagePlus frequent flier prog. : UAL. Formerly United Airlines.
34. Ole Miss rival : 'BAMA. Universities on Mississippi and Alabama, respectively. I think they might have football teams.
35. Customs collection : TARIFF. An import tax
40. Charmin layer : PLY. Tissue layers.
42. Black & Decker rival : SKIL. Power tools.
43. Dapper : SPRUCE. I was familiar with the usage as noun and verb, but not adjective. It is, however, legit. Neat, smart, or stylish in appearance.
46. Gave up for money : SOLD. Past tense of the verb "to sell." Curiously, in Old English, ca. 10th century, this verb meant to give as a gift.
49. Irritated state : IRE. Having one's dander up.
53. Brainy Simpson : LISA. Sadly, I could not find a video to verify this concept.
54. Not within walking distance : FAR. You might need a lift
55. One needing a lift : SKIER. Clever. Besides, neither hitchhiker nor Arthur Dent fit.
58. "__ Girl": 2014 Affleck film : GONE.
Does not look like a lot of fun
61. Battery terminal sign : PLUS. Indicates the positive terminal.
68. D.C. dealers : POLS. politicians.
69. Hawaiian coffee district : KONA. On the western part of the Big Island.
70. Put a cap on : LIMIT.
71. Eye woe : STYE. A bacterial infection of an oil gland at the edge of the eyelid.
73. Stops bleeding : CLOTS. Clotting is part of homeostasis.
Down
1. Apple Store array : MACS. Along with iPads, iPods, and iWatches. I am blogging from my Macbook Pro with Retina Display.
Down
1. Apple Store array : MACS. Along with iPads, iPods, and iWatches. I am blogging from my Macbook Pro with Retina Display.
2. Job opening : SLOT. A position to be filled. Derived from the Old French word for bosom cleavage.
3. Prefix with goddess : DEMI. A lower ranking divine personage.
4. Go to extremes : OVERDO. As, for example, a speaker exemplifying today's theme.
5. Complete collection : SET.
6. Con __: briskly, on scores : MOTO. Literally, with motion, thus, to be performed in a lively manner. I just do whatever the conductor wants.
7. Iolani Palace site : OAHU. In Honolulu.
8. Estracell sponge brand : BRILLO. Soap infused steel wool pad.
9. Phishing fig. : SSN. Social Security Number. Phishing is a particular kind of internet scam, where the perp poses as legitimate financial company to extract one's personal data, such as SS number.
10. Does a slow burn : SMOLDERS. Generates smoke, but no flame. Figuratively, is experiencing but [more or less] containing anger.
11. Surfing convenience : WIFI. For internet surfing. The term refers to a wireless connection, and is derived from "wireless" plus "fi," an arbitrary second element, thus similar in form to hi-fi.
12. Opera showstopper : ARIA. Featured vocal solo.
13. Gets in the pool, maybe : BETS. Makes a wager in a betting pool.
18. Milo of the movies : O'SHEA.
19. She adopted Tigger : KANGA. Friends of a certain silly bear. I do not Pooh-pooh this kind of trivia.
24. Top of a scepter, perhaps : ORB. Not every scepter has one.
26. Part of MoMA : ART. Museum of Modern ART
27. Perturbs : BUGS.
28. O.K. Corral gunfighter : EARP. The EARP brothers, Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt along with Doc Holliday were on one side against Billy Claiborn, Ike and Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury. The combatants were only a few feet apart, and the incident was over in a matter of seconds. It took place at a narrow vacant lot next to a photographer's shop, not at or adjacent to the eponymous corral. Probably the most famous gunfight in the history of the old west, but it was not well known to the American people until 50 years later.
29. Toy (with), as an idea : FLIRT. Not the first thing that comes to mind when I consider the word "FLIRT." I guess this is the point where the idea is playfully suggestive [or suggestively playful] but not yet given serious consideration.
30. Sitter's challenge : IMP. In Middle English, a child of a noble family. Somehow, this morphed into a child of The Devil - sort of a demi-daemon. Now diluted to mean an unruly child.
31. Quiz answer : FALSE. If the question is of the True-FALSE variety.
32. Maori carvings : TIKIS. Check them out.
36. Unshakable : FIRM. Literally, to physical objects; figuratively to resolute concepts and those who hold them.
37. Cut and run : FLEE. Escape
A flea and a fly in a flue
Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
Said the fly, "let us FLEE!"
"Let us fly!" said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
--Ogden Nash
39. "Don't make me laugh!" : PUH-LEASE. Exaggerated pronunciation of PLEASE, for dramatically dismissive affect.
41. __ Kippur : YOM. Falling on the 10th day of Tishri, this is among the most important high holidays of the Jewish faith. It is the day of judgement, remembrance and atonement. [Help me out here if I didn't get this quite right.]
44. Stone monument : CAIRN. For millennia, they have been used as landmarks, grave markers, in astronomy, or for other ceremonial purposes.
45. UFO fliers, purportedly : ETS. Extra-Terrestrials in Unidentified Flying Objects.
47. Career officer : LIFER.
48. Forensic investigator's molecule : DNA. Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It's in all your cells, and you leave it everywhere, perhaps to be collected on SWABS.
51. Convertible, in slang : RAGTOP.
52. Adviser who was a regular "Oprah" guest : DR. PHIL McGraw.
55. Enervates : SAPS. Depletes of energy.
56. Feature of some paneling : KNOT.
57. In a laid-back manner : IDLY.
59. Words of dismay : OH NO.
60. Straightened up : NEAT. SPRUCE; or even better -- without ice. Oh, yes!
62. Wedding rental : LIMO. Fancy, multi-passenger hired car, complete with driver.
63. Combat group : UNIT.
64. LAPD ranks : SGTS. Sergeants in the Los Angeles Police Department
66. Puts one's initials on : OK'S. Short form seal of approval.
67. Pampering, for short : TLC. Tender Loving Care - mom's specialty.
67. Pampering, for short : TLC. Tender Loving Care - mom's specialty.
There it is, as succinct as I could make it. 'Nuff said? Hope it gets your seal of approval.
Cool regards!
JzB [my ALIAS]
Note from C.C.:
I'm excited to tell you that Jazzbumpa (Ron) just got his first
puzzle accepted by the New York Times. He got a "Yes" on his second
submission. Ron is very creative and works extremely hard on all of the puzzles we've collaborated. It's been a extraordinarily fun journey, Ron!
