Theme: SHORT WEIGHT LIST. Three entries have circled letters at their beginnings and endings that spell out units of weight measurement. Might be tough to spot if you didn't get the circles.
16 A. Latter Day Saints' sacred text : THE BOOK OF MORMON. Also an irreverent Broadway musical that mocks Mormon beliefs and practices.
16 A. Latter Day Saints' sacred text : THE BOOK OF MORMON. Also an irreverent Broadway musical that mocks Mormon beliefs and practices.
26 A. Occupy oneself with trivial tasks : PUTTER AROUND. The story of my retirement.
45 A. Like a budget with more expenses than income : OUT OF BALANCE. Deficit spending.
And the unifier -- 59 A. Radical solutions ... and what this puzzle's circles literally represent : EXTREME MEASURES. Exceeding what is usual or reasonable to achieve some end. Here, the names of English System weights are divided and the chunks placed at the extremes, so to speak, of the theme entries, presented in descending order.
Hi Gang, Jazzbumpa here, sadly having hit a several-month-long plateau in the personal weight loss program. Maybe this theme, with a couple of grid-spanners, will inspire me to greater effort. Meanwhile, let's see if this puzzle, presented by a Lady we all know, is heavy or light weight.
Hi Gang, Jazzbumpa here, sadly having hit a several-month-long plateau in the personal weight loss program. Maybe this theme, with a couple of grid-spanners, will inspire me to greater effort. Meanwhile, let's see if this puzzle, presented by a Lady we all know, is heavy or light weight.
Across
1. Young chaps : LADS. This word, going back to Middle English is of unknown origin.
5. Stitchless? : NUDE. Absence of threads. I get it, but it's kind of a stretch. So, possibly double-knit?
9. Right-leaning print: Abbr. : ITAL. Italics. Are they prim and proper? No politics!
13. Tan shade : ECRU. From French "écru," meaning "unbleached," describing the light tan color of unbleached linen.
14. One picking a rock : MINER. You can select the rock to have at with your pick.
14. One picking a rock : MINER. You can select the rock to have at with your pick.
15. It may fly by : TIME. If you're having fun.
19. Pirate's milieu : SEA. The setting, background or environment for a pirate is on the briney.
20. Mop & __: floor cleaner : GLO. Multi-purpose cleaner that also helps shine and protect vinyl flooring.
21. The bubbles in bubble tea, usually : TAPIOCA. Learning moment.
25. Architect Saarinen : EERO. [1910-1961] Finnish-American architect and industrial designer. One of his most notable creations is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo.
30. Butter substitute : OLEO. Aka Margarine. But not in this tasty Sonny Rollins tune.
31. How, to José : COMO. Spanish translation.
32. Retirement place : BED. When I retire for the night. Not to be confused with my other retirement from the daily rat race.
35. Beverage with a "Real Facts" Web page : SNAPPLE. A brand of tea and fruit drinks.
39. Curious box opener : PANDORA. From Greek mythology. She was the first woman created by the gods. She opened a jar that released all the evils of humanity. Echoes of mother Eve.
41. Meat in a typical Denver omelet : HAM. Diced small.
42. Succotash bean : LIMA. Mixed with corn. The name is derived from a Narragansett word meaning "broken corn kernels." The combination of corn with a legume provides complete protein. it was poplar during the great depression because the ingredients were readily available and relatively inexpensive.
44. Sportscaster Andrews : ERIN. [b. 1978]
44. Sportscaster Andrews : ERIN. [b. 1978]
49. Jockey strap : REIN. A narrow strap attached to each end of a hoerse's bit, used to guide the horse while riding.
51. Bright blue shade : COBALT. Made from a pigment containing the element COBALT. Think of the color of Phillip's Milk of Magnesia bottles. Or this.
52. Bygone heating fuel : COAL GAS. A gas mixture containing hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide, made from the desturctive distillation of coal.
52. Bygone heating fuel : COAL GAS. A gas mixture containing hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide, made from the desturctive distillation of coal.
55. Wall St. maneuver : LBO. Leveraged Buy Out. An acquisition method in which the assets of the purchased company are used as collateral for a large loan, so the transaction can be completed with minimal capital expenditure.
56. Select, with "for" : OPT. Make a choice, via French from the Latin optare, chose.
62. "In __ of flowers ... " : LIEU. Instead of. From Middle English, via French again, back to the Latin, locus, place.
63. Mideast dignitaries : EMIRS. Indicating various high positions, such as military commender, local chieftain, or head of state.
64. Disk slapped by Ducks : PUCK. The Anaheim Ducks are a team in the National Hockey League. This year they finished 2nd in the Pacific Division and got swept out in the first round of the playoffs by the San Jose Sharks.
65. Croat neighbor : SERB. Citizens of Eastern European countries Serbia and Croatia.
66. Boy, in Bilbao : NINO. LAD, in Spanish.
Down
1. "Why don't we?!" : LET'S. As one vegetarian said to another, "Let us eat lettuce.
2. Tylenol target : ACHE. Pain killer.
3. Superstar lineup : DREAM TEAM. A collection of the best athletes.
4. Pinch hitter, say : SUB. One who substitutes for another.
5. Electricity pioneer Tesla : NIKOLA. [1856-1943] Serbian-American Engineer and inventor who made contributions to the design of electricity delivery systems
6. Kid-friendly card game : UNO. And frequent X-word entry.
7. Nimble : DEFT. Agile.
8. "At Wit's End" columnist Bombeck : ERMA. [1927 - 1996] Wrote humorously about daily life.
9. "Did my best" : I TRIED. But probably didn't succeed.
10. Divided island north of Australia : TIMOR. East Timor is a sovereign nation. The western part of the island belongs to Indonesia.
11. BP merger partner : AMOCO. Big oil gets bigger.
12. Actress Olin : LENA. In THE NINTH GATE
14. Canine neighbor : MOLAR. Teeth, not pets.
18. Premiere, datewise : OPEN ON. This seems kind of clumsy, but it works.
23. At the pinnacle of : ATOP.
24. Semicircle, e.g. : ARC. Any portion of a circle.
26. Like five-star hotels : POSH. High class and expensive.
27. Radius neighbor : ULNA. Bones of the forearm.
28. "Alley __" : OOP. Erstwhile cartoon caveman.
32. Springsteen's first Top 40 hit : BORN TO RUN.
33. Red explorer? : ERIC. Eiríkr Þorvaldsson; [950 – c. 1003] Following the family tradition, Eric was exiled for killing a man. His explorations then took him to Greenland, but he was probably not the first European to land there. [Wikipedia]
34. Victor Borge, by birth : DANE. Pianist and comic.
36. Fall precipitously : PLUNGE. Plummet.
37. Short stories? : LIT. Literature, abbreviated.
38. Broody rock genre : EMO. Emotional punk rock, for emotional punks.
40. "Sold!" : DEAL. Artful agreement.
43. Pro Bowl team, briefly : AFC. America Football Conference.
45. Massage option : OIL RUB. All of my massage therapists have used essential oils.
46. Ravel classic used in the film "10" : BOLERO.
47. Palestinian leader Mahmoud : ABBAS. [b 1935] Palesinian president since 2005.
48. Thailand neighbor : LAOS. East of Thailand, West of Viet Nam.
49. "Chicago" showgirl : ROXIE.
50. Diner patron : EATER. Literal consumer.
52. Roger Rabbit frames : CELS. Pick one.
53. "I totally agree!" : AMEN. "So be it."
54. Rig on the road : SEMI. A tractor-trailer rig.
57. Quick kiss : PECK. Usually on the cheek.
58. Disapproving sounds : TSKS. Tongue clucks.
60. 60 secs. : MIN. One minute
61. AP competitor : UPI. United Press International
That wraps it up. C. C. took us around the world and provided a lot of musical options, with no major nits. Pretty good Wednesday, IMHO.
Cool regards!
JzB
That wraps it up. C. C. took us around the world and provided a lot of musical options, with no major nits. Pretty good Wednesday, IMHO.
Cool regards!
JzB
