I'll start with the unifier today.
54-Across. Pretend to be wealthy, in old slang ... and a hint to words that end answers to starred clues: PUT ON THE DOG.
According to a number of sources, the idiom Putting On the Dog is uniquely an American expression. It was first recorded in print in the early 1870s in a book entitled Four Years at Yale, and it means "to make a flashy display." It may derive from the popularity of lap dogs during the 1860s and 1870s. Because a lap dog was considered to be pampered, "putting on the dog" was a way of showing off.
20-Across. * Hit the roof: BLOW ONES TOP. As in the Top Dog - Number 1 Best!
38-Across. * Goes on a winning streak: GETS HOT. Could also be parsed as Get Shot, but that doesn't fit the theme. Hot Dog. Hi, Misty!
11-Down. * Old Spice rival: RIGHT GUARD. Both Right Guard and Old Spice are deodorants. Guard Dog.
29-Down. * Photogenic evening event: SETTING SUN. Sun Dog. Everything you always wanted to known about a Sun Dog, but were afraid to ask.
Across:
1. Tampa NFLers: BUCS. As in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their logo is fierce. Hi, Tin!
5. Copier powder: TONER.
10. Like much testimony: ORAL.
14. Sundance Film Festival state: UTAH. This is an annual event that takes place in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Next year the film festival will run from Thursday, January 23, 2020 through Sunday February 2, 2020. It is a showcase festival for American and foreign independent filmmakers. Get your tickets now!
15. Virtuosic piece: ÉTUDE.
16. Document with an executor: WILL. As in your Last Will and Testament.
17. Celeb's wheels: LIMO. As in a Limousine.
18. Angry diner patron's decision: NO TIP.
19. French Toaster Sticks brand: EGGO. Leggo my Eggo!
1. Tampa NFLers: BUCS. As in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their logo is fierce. Hi, Tin!
10. Like much testimony: ORAL.
14. Sundance Film Festival state: UTAH. This is an annual event that takes place in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Next year the film festival will run from Thursday, January 23, 2020 through Sunday February 2, 2020. It is a showcase festival for American and foreign independent filmmakers. Get your tickets now!
15. Virtuosic piece: ÉTUDE.
16. Document with an executor: WILL. As in your Last Will and Testament.
17. Celeb's wheels: LIMO. As in a Limousine.
How classy!
18. Angry diner patron's decision: NO TIP.
19. French Toaster Sticks brand: EGGO. Leggo my Eggo!
23. Barn bale: HAY. Round or Square?
24. Spring flower: IRIS. Things you didn't know about Van Gogh's Iris paintings.
25. Turned to compost: ROTTED.
27. Pretend to be: POSE AS. Can you spot the differences in these pictures?
30. Word with call or ritual: MATING. As in a Mating Call or a Mating Ritual.
32. Rudder's region: STERN. Hi, Spitzboov!
33. Religious faction: SECT.
34. Ballet skirt: TUTU. // Not to be confused with 42-Across. Fictional terrier from Kansas: TOTO.
37. Museum display: ART.
41. Satisfied exhalations: AHs!
44. Picture of health?: X-RAY.
45. Kiddie-lit brutes: OGRES.
47. "Famous potatoes" referred to in a license plate slogan: IDAHOS. My Own Private Idaho.
49. Rubble-lifting machine: LOADER.
50. Movie theater: CINEMA. Where you go to see a film at the Sundance Film Festival.
52. __ bath: therapeutic soak: SITZ. Believe me, you don't want to see a picture.
53. Energy unit: ERG. An Erg is the amount of work done by a force of one dyne exerted for a distance of 1 centimeter. The word erg comes from the Greek word for work.
60. Arnaz of early TV: DESI. Desi Arnaz (Mar. 2, 1917 ~ Dec. 2, 1986) was the husband of Lucille Ball and played her husband, Ricky Ricardo, on I Love Lucy. Sadly, their marriage in real life was not a happy one.
62. Anwar of Egypt: SADAT. Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat (Dec. 25, 1918 ~ Oct. 6, 1981) was the 3rd President of Egypt. He worked to make peace with Israel, and in 1978, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Prime Minister, Menacham Began. Three years later, Sadat was assassinated by one of his countrymen while celebrating the annual event marking Egypt's crossing of the Suez Canal during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
63. U2 lead singer: BONO. His given name is Paul David Hewson (b. May 10, 1960).
64. Sufficient, briefly: ENUF. Enuf said!
65. Bike for a tyke: TRIKE.
66. Shamu was one: ORCA.
67. Rooms with recliners: DENS.
68. Take the wheel: STEER. I initially tried Drive, but I guess we were looking for a more bovine answer.
69. RR depot posting: SKED. As in the schedule.
Down:
1. Daffodil-to-be: BULB.
2. Electric co., e.g.: UTIL. As in a Utility.
3. Covert ops garb: CAMO. I was thinking a little more Cloak and Dagger, so initially tried Cape. (Look closely.)
4. More flamboyant: SHOWIER.
5. Nadal's sport: TENNIS. Rafael Nadal (b. June 3, 1986) is a professional tennis player. He has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer
6. Great Plains natives: OTOES.
7. Tree-borne allergen sources: NUTS.
8. Tweak, as text: EDIT.
9. Work under, as a manager: REPORT TO.
10. Have bills to pay: OWE. I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!
12. Pool owner's concern: ALGAE. It's hard work to keep a pool algae-free.
13. "Airplane!" actor Bridges: LLOYD. Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. (Jan. 15, 1913 ~ Mar. 10, 1998) was the father of actors Beau and Jeff Bridges. Airplane! is a very funny movie.
21. Indonesian ape: ORANG.
22. Luau finger food: POI. When I tried poi, it was more like the consistency of humas, not something that one would eat with one's fingers.
26. Blowup letters: TNT. As in TriNitoToluene.
27. Natl. Merit Scholarship qualifying exam: PSAT. The Preliminary SAT is a standardized test administered by the College Board and is co-sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
28. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO. Today's Spanish lesson. Oaxaca is is a city in central Mexico known for its colorful buildings made from greenish volcanic stone.
30. Western plateaus: MESAS.
31. Like overworked muscles: ACHY.
33. Houston MLBer: 'STRO. As in the Houston Astros Major League Baseball team. Note, however, that the official logo doesn't abbreviate the name.
35. You, quaintly: THEE. I initially tried Thou.
36. Cold War country: Abbr.: USSR. As in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or in the alphabet used in Russia, the country would have been known as Союз Советских Социалистических Республик.
39. Drains of energy: EXHAUSTS.
40. One in a comb row: TOOTH.
43. Glorifying verse: ODE. A crossword staple.
46. Open-sided structures also called summerhouses: GAZEBOS. Do you know the difference between a Gazebo and a Pergola?
48. Sound system part: AMP.
49. Leave a paper trail?: LITTER. My favorite clue of the puzzle.
50. Formally gave up: CEDED.
51. Goddess of peace: IRENE. Good night!
52. Slithering reptile: SNAKE.
55. Fruit pastry: TART. Yummers!
56. Drooling toon canine: ODIE. Garfield's chum.
57. Nerdy sort: DORK.
58. Back in the day: ONCE. Once upon a time there was, "a king!", my little readers will instantly exclaim. No, children, you are mistaken. Once upon a time there was a piece of wood. ** To which children's story are these the opening lines?
59. Egg on: GOAD.
And here's the Grid:
I'll leave you with a QOD: If you haven’t found something strange during the day, it hasn’t been much of a day. ~ John A. Wheeler (né John Archibald Wheeler; July 9, 1911 ~ Apr. 13, 2008), American theoretical physicist
** Pinocchio.
Note from C.C.:
Happy
Birthday to dear Tony (Anonymous-T), our generous and caring geek friend.
Tony wrote a program that eased up our blogging considerably.
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| At Wit's End near Carmel on Father's Day 2017 |
