Theme: Black Thursday - today's puzzle features some deep-discount bargains:
17A. Feature of an American flag purchased with 58-Across?: TWENTY-FIVE STARS. The Stars and Stripes as it would have appeared today if Arkansas was the last state to join the union back in 1836.
29A. Sidney Lumet film purchased with 58-Across?: SIX ANGRY MEN. If there were only six angry men, the verdict would have been "Guilty" - Henry Fonda, who cast the initial 'not guilty" vote was Juror #8. A great movie.
44A. Freight vehicle purchased with 58-Across?: NINE-WHEELER. That would make things a little lop-sided. An eighteen-wheeler actually has ten wheels, but eighteen rims and tires, just to keep things interesting. Here's two wheels, but four rims and tires:
and the unifier:
58A. Sales incentive: FIFTY PERCENT OFF. Here's a patriotic sign with 13 stars - let's call it the "Rhode Island" sales event:
Fun theme from Jeff, I got the themers before the reveal, so that's always nice. Good, solid fill too. Let's see what pops out:
Across:
1. Collect: AMASS. I've amassed quite a collection of cooking equipment over the years. I do follow the advice of Alton Brown and avoid any "single use" gadget, they take up too much space for their one function. Do you really need a garlic press, something to chop herbs with that isn't a knife or a melon baller when you already have measuring spoon the same size?
6. Stag: HART. Many pubs in England are called "The White Hart". The most common pub name in the UK is "The Red Lion". I've been to this "White Hart" in Overton, Hampshire:
10. Diminished gradually, with "off": WORE
14. Lake between the Silver State and Golden State: TAHOE. Gambling on the east side, weed on the west side. Pick your poison.
15. Promise, for one: OLEO. This confused me for a few moments, but remembered "Promise" is a brand of margarine.
16. Operation Solomon airline: EL AL. I didn't know the back story, but not hard to guess.
20. Raina Telgemeier graphic novel about a girl with braces: SMILE. Stab in the dark here, but when a couple of letters were provided by crosses, it wasn't hard to fill in the blanks.
21. Breeder's income source: STUD FEE
22. Names as a source: CITES. It's nice to receive a citation as a source, less pleasant to receive one for a traffic violation (or so I hear, I've never had one myself .... he lied).
25. Fizzy prefix: AER-
26. Decryption org.: N.S.A. National Security Agency, I always want to call it the National Spy Agency, but the CIA has dibs on that one.
34. Regatta racer: YACHT. I'm not sure when it was when I stopped trying to spell "yacht" with a "g' in there somewhere, but it was a happy day.
36. Paint store selections: HUES. I need to check out the hues at my local hardware store, I need to repaint my "hobby" room, I managed to overspray weathering paint onto the walls, not smart. They need a refresh anyway, so a good time.
37. Ristorante bottle: VINO. "In vino, veritas" according to the Romans. "In wine, truth". A poetic way to describe drunk texting, which rarely has a positive outcome.
38. Mandolin kin: LUTES
39. Loved, with "up": ATE
40. Dasani product: WATER. Dasani makes water? I doubt it. I think they bottle and sell it.
41. Carbon monoxide's lack: ODOR
42. Iditarod racer: SLED. Not for much longer if the planet keeps warming. It'll be a water-skier pulled by knee-deep huskies before too long.
43. Capital of Ghana: ACCRA
47. Coal scuttle: HOD. I'm more familiar with a hod being used to carry bricks to a bricklayer during construction of a wall. Same concept though.
48. "I have an idea!": AHA! It better be a good one.
49. Silas of the Continental Congress: DEANE. A little obscure, this one. The representatives of the original thirteen colonies (with the exception of Georgia) during the Revolutionary War formed the Continental Congress. Deane was one of the representatives from Connecticut, and is the only Silas I've heard of other than the Silas Marner of literature.
51. Deals with freebies: TWO-FERS. Same as 50% off! My local Ralph's market, part of the Kroger empire, have regular BOGO offers (Buy One, Get One) in the meat and seafood department. I can never resist those deals.
55. Museo Leonardiano city: VINCI. It would be odd if Vinci had a museum dedicated to any other Italian.
62. Everyone, in Essen: ALLE.
63. Mideast bigwig: EMIR
64. Mill input: GRIST. Grist for the mill - flour comes out, the chaff is blown away. I think.
65. "All in the Family" producer Norman: LEAR. If you say so, thank you, crosses.
66. Donnybrook: RIOT. From the Donnybrook Fair, first held 1204 in Dublin. It is sometimes described as "notoriously disorderly", but we're talking Irish, beer and fourteen days of festivities. It's small wonder that things occasionally got a little out of hand. I'm of Irish descent, so I can say that. The phrase "I went to a fight, but a wake broke out" is not spoken without a certain basis in fact. Donnybrook Fair can sound quite pleasant, according to an 18th century poem penned by that bard of prolific output, "Anon".
67. Church council: SYNOD
Down:
1. QB's stat: ATT. Pass attempts in American Football.
2. Big mouths: MAWS
3. Word of disapproval: AHEM
4. Sega's hedgehog: SONIC. Video game character of legend.
5. Band concert guides: SET LISTS. People collect them. Here's a "Joshua Tree" tour set list from U2 when I saw them at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena:
6. Cooperstown inst.: H.O.F. Hall Of Fame. Baseball, in Cooperstown's case.
7. "Rope-a-dope" boxer: ALI. He was "roping" Joe Frazier.
8. Races: REVS as in one's engine.
9. "CSI" IDs: TOE TAGS
10. Multi-use workshop tool: WET-DRY VAC. I'm not sure it's "multi-use" - it's a vacuum, it just vacuums a lot of different stuff.
11. Elsa and Anna's snowman pal: OLAF. From the "Frozen" movie, I never saw it, but I hear it's good.
12. Medium __: RARE. The "gold standard" for steak done-ness.
13. Besides that: ELSE
18. Mysterious Himalayan: YETI
19. Litigious type: SUER. Is that a word?
23. Yoga instruction: EXHALE
24. Cooked in a skillet: SAUTÉED
26. Guitar string option: NYLON. Steel guitar strings for me. Don't nylon ones go out of tune all the time?
27. King Salman, for one: SAUDI. Thank you, crosses.
28. Do something in response to: ACT ON
30. Tease: NEEDLE
31. Deadpan comic Hedberg: MITCH. More crosses.
32. Summer month in South America: ENERO. January
33. Annual Santa tracker: NORAD. North American Aerospace Defense Command. Super nice folks at Christmas.
35. From now on: HEREAFTER. I tried EVER AFTER, but that obviously didn't work out too well.
40. Alarms: WARNINGS
42. More on the ball: SHARPER
45. Miss Muffet fare: WHEY. I prefer curds, myself.
46. Outer wall protector: EAVE
50. Vestibule, e.g.: ENTRY
51. Nonstick kitchen brand: T-FAL
52. Sly trick: WILE
53. "Man __ Mancha": OF LA
54. Frozen Four game: SEMI. Final Four too, and every other sport in a knockout format.
56. Invent, in a way: COIN. To coin a phrase ...
57. "That being the case ... ": IF SO ...
59. Brazilian hot spot: RIO. I've been lucky enough to have had a few trips to Rio, a city of contrasts and some quite wonderful sights, sounds and food!
60. Old PC monitor: CRT. The old Cathode Ray Tube. Poor Cathode and Ray, they were the darlings of the tech business for so long, now long consigned to recycle (hopefully) or landfull (less pleasant).
61. Co. with a bouquet in its logo: FTD. "Florists's Transworld Delivery" to be posh. The UK branding was "Interflora". Same logo though.
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And with the winged feet of Eros [edit - sorry, Mercury] and a bunch of flowers, I'll leave you with the grid.
Steve
17A. Feature of an American flag purchased with 58-Across?: TWENTY-FIVE STARS. The Stars and Stripes as it would have appeared today if Arkansas was the last state to join the union back in 1836.
29A. Sidney Lumet film purchased with 58-Across?: SIX ANGRY MEN. If there were only six angry men, the verdict would have been "Guilty" - Henry Fonda, who cast the initial 'not guilty" vote was Juror #8. A great movie.
44A. Freight vehicle purchased with 58-Across?: NINE-WHEELER. That would make things a little lop-sided. An eighteen-wheeler actually has ten wheels, but eighteen rims and tires, just to keep things interesting. Here's two wheels, but four rims and tires:
and the unifier:
58A. Sales incentive: FIFTY PERCENT OFF. Here's a patriotic sign with 13 stars - let's call it the "Rhode Island" sales event:
Across:
1. Collect: AMASS. I've amassed quite a collection of cooking equipment over the years. I do follow the advice of Alton Brown and avoid any "single use" gadget, they take up too much space for their one function. Do you really need a garlic press, something to chop herbs with that isn't a knife or a melon baller when you already have measuring spoon the same size?
6. Stag: HART. Many pubs in England are called "The White Hart". The most common pub name in the UK is "The Red Lion". I've been to this "White Hart" in Overton, Hampshire:
10. Diminished gradually, with "off": WORE
14. Lake between the Silver State and Golden State: TAHOE. Gambling on the east side, weed on the west side. Pick your poison.
15. Promise, for one: OLEO. This confused me for a few moments, but remembered "Promise" is a brand of margarine.
16. Operation Solomon airline: EL AL. I didn't know the back story, but not hard to guess.
20. Raina Telgemeier graphic novel about a girl with braces: SMILE. Stab in the dark here, but when a couple of letters were provided by crosses, it wasn't hard to fill in the blanks.
21. Breeder's income source: STUD FEE
22. Names as a source: CITES. It's nice to receive a citation as a source, less pleasant to receive one for a traffic violation (or so I hear, I've never had one myself .... he lied).
25. Fizzy prefix: AER-
26. Decryption org.: N.S.A. National Security Agency, I always want to call it the National Spy Agency, but the CIA has dibs on that one.
34. Regatta racer: YACHT. I'm not sure when it was when I stopped trying to spell "yacht" with a "g' in there somewhere, but it was a happy day.
36. Paint store selections: HUES. I need to check out the hues at my local hardware store, I need to repaint my "hobby" room, I managed to overspray weathering paint onto the walls, not smart. They need a refresh anyway, so a good time.
37. Ristorante bottle: VINO. "In vino, veritas" according to the Romans. "In wine, truth". A poetic way to describe drunk texting, which rarely has a positive outcome.
38. Mandolin kin: LUTES
39. Loved, with "up": ATE
40. Dasani product: WATER. Dasani makes water? I doubt it. I think they bottle and sell it.
41. Carbon monoxide's lack: ODOR
42. Iditarod racer: SLED. Not for much longer if the planet keeps warming. It'll be a water-skier pulled by knee-deep huskies before too long.
43. Capital of Ghana: ACCRA
47. Coal scuttle: HOD. I'm more familiar with a hod being used to carry bricks to a bricklayer during construction of a wall. Same concept though.
48. "I have an idea!": AHA! It better be a good one.
49. Silas of the Continental Congress: DEANE. A little obscure, this one. The representatives of the original thirteen colonies (with the exception of Georgia) during the Revolutionary War formed the Continental Congress. Deane was one of the representatives from Connecticut, and is the only Silas I've heard of other than the Silas Marner of literature.
51. Deals with freebies: TWO-FERS. Same as 50% off! My local Ralph's market, part of the Kroger empire, have regular BOGO offers (Buy One, Get One) in the meat and seafood department. I can never resist those deals.
55. Museo Leonardiano city: VINCI. It would be odd if Vinci had a museum dedicated to any other Italian.
62. Everyone, in Essen: ALLE.
63. Mideast bigwig: EMIR
64. Mill input: GRIST. Grist for the mill - flour comes out, the chaff is blown away. I think.
65. "All in the Family" producer Norman: LEAR. If you say so, thank you, crosses.
66. Donnybrook: RIOT. From the Donnybrook Fair, first held 1204 in Dublin. It is sometimes described as "notoriously disorderly", but we're talking Irish, beer and fourteen days of festivities. It's small wonder that things occasionally got a little out of hand. I'm of Irish descent, so I can say that. The phrase "I went to a fight, but a wake broke out" is not spoken without a certain basis in fact. Donnybrook Fair can sound quite pleasant, according to an 18th century poem penned by that bard of prolific output, "Anon".
To Donnybrook steer, all you sons of Parnassus
Poor painters, poor poets, poor newsmen, poor knaves
To see what the fun is that all fun surpasses
The sorrow and sadness of green Erin's slaves
O Donnybrook, jewel, full of mirth is your quiver
Where all flock from Dublin to gape and to stare
At two elegant bridges, without e'er a river
So success to the humours of Donnybrook Fair
67. Church council: SYNOD
Down:
1. QB's stat: ATT. Pass attempts in American Football.
2. Big mouths: MAWS
3. Word of disapproval: AHEM
4. Sega's hedgehog: SONIC. Video game character of legend.
5. Band concert guides: SET LISTS. People collect them. Here's a "Joshua Tree" tour set list from U2 when I saw them at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena:
6. Cooperstown inst.: H.O.F. Hall Of Fame. Baseball, in Cooperstown's case.
7. "Rope-a-dope" boxer: ALI. He was "roping" Joe Frazier.
8. Races: REVS as in one's engine.
9. "CSI" IDs: TOE TAGS
10. Multi-use workshop tool: WET-DRY VAC. I'm not sure it's "multi-use" - it's a vacuum, it just vacuums a lot of different stuff.
11. Elsa and Anna's snowman pal: OLAF. From the "Frozen" movie, I never saw it, but I hear it's good.
12. Medium __: RARE. The "gold standard" for steak done-ness.
13. Besides that: ELSE
18. Mysterious Himalayan: YETI
19. Litigious type: SUER. Is that a word?
23. Yoga instruction: EXHALE
24. Cooked in a skillet: SAUTÉED
26. Guitar string option: NYLON. Steel guitar strings for me. Don't nylon ones go out of tune all the time?
27. King Salman, for one: SAUDI. Thank you, crosses.
28. Do something in response to: ACT ON
30. Tease: NEEDLE
31. Deadpan comic Hedberg: MITCH. More crosses.
32. Summer month in South America: ENERO. January
33. Annual Santa tracker: NORAD. North American Aerospace Defense Command. Super nice folks at Christmas.
35. From now on: HEREAFTER. I tried EVER AFTER, but that obviously didn't work out too well.
40. Alarms: WARNINGS
42. More on the ball: SHARPER
45. Miss Muffet fare: WHEY. I prefer curds, myself.
46. Outer wall protector: EAVE
50. Vestibule, e.g.: ENTRY
51. Nonstick kitchen brand: T-FAL
52. Sly trick: WILE
53. "Man __ Mancha": OF LA
54. Frozen Four game: SEMI. Final Four too, and every other sport in a knockout format.
56. Invent, in a way: COIN. To coin a phrase ...
57. "That being the case ... ": IF SO ...
59. Brazilian hot spot: RIO. I've been lucky enough to have had a few trips to Rio, a city of contrasts and some quite wonderful sights, sounds and food!
60. Old PC monitor: CRT. The old Cathode Ray Tube. Poor Cathode and Ray, they were the darlings of the tech business for so long, now long consigned to recycle (hopefully) or landfull (less pleasant).
61. Co. with a bouquet in its logo: FTD. "Florists's Transworld Delivery" to be posh. The UK branding was "Interflora". Same logo though.
And with the winged feet of Eros [edit - sorry, Mercury] and a bunch of flowers, I'll leave you with the grid.
Steve
