Theme: And the award goes to ...
17. John McClane in "Die Hard," e.g.: ONE
MAN ARMY.
28. Promise not to prosecute: GRANT IMMUNITY.
43. "The Jungle" author: UPTON
SINCLAIR.
55. What an X may mean: ADULTS
ONLY.
And the reveal ...
64. Showbiz "grand slam" comprising the awards found in the circled
letters: EGOT.
This required some serious thinking to construct. I did not remember the
term, but the reveal clue made it clear what would be hiding in the
circles.
EGOT, an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, is
the designation given to people who have won all four awards.
Respectively, these awards honor outstanding achievements in television,
recording, film, and theatre. Achieving the EGOT has been referred to as
the "grand slam" of show business. All 16 EGOT Winners.
Across:
1. "We'll tak __ o' kindness yet": Burns: A CUP.
Interesting history
of the Robert Burns song. Surprising the closing scene from
It's a Wonderful Life is not listed in the section "Use in films,"
as it's what comes to mind for me every time I hear it. In the film they
sing "We'll drink a cup [...]." "Tak" is from Burns's original
Scottish lyrics (see link above).
5. Made, as a tunnel: DUG.
8. "Oh, no you __!": DIDN'T.
13. Item inspected with a flashlight, perhaps: FUSE. Nice
clue.
14. Commute but not pollute: BIKE. Strange phrasing, seems like it
should be "Commute without polluting."
15. "We're broadcasting" sign: ON AIR. Shhhhh!
16. Remaining: LEFT.
19. Have something: AIL.
20. Ont. neighbor: QUE.
21. Lips sound: SMACK.
22. B sharp equivalent: C NATURAL.
25. Weapon that stuns: PHASER.
30. Peeper: EYE.
31. RSVP facilitator: SASE. Self-addressed, stamped envelope. My
non-profit receives a lot of these from prisoners requesting information.
Saves us lots of postage.
32. Junk __: DNA.
What is junk DNA?
33. The Game of Life pieces: PEGS. See the little pegs that go
into the cars?
36. Wreck room?: STY. Fun clue.
37. Rely (on) for support: LEAN.
38. Kitchen tool brand: OXO.
39. "You got it": SURE.
41. Brown or pale order: ALE.
47. Friend of Natalie, Jo and Blair on "The Facts of Life":
TOOTIE.
48. Indication of a Realtor's success: SOLD SIGN. It is a seller's
market, at least in CA right now. My daughter and SIL had nearly 30
showings of their home in Clovis a day and a half, and received 8+ offers
all over asking price. They're moving to Arizona before the end of the
year.
51. Put back in the hot oil: REFRY.
53. Article in the L.A. Times?: LOS. Nice. In English there are
three articles, a, an, and the. Los is Spanish for the.
54. Email address part: DOT. As in, blogger dot com.
58. Sea level shift: TIDE. Caused by the gravitational pull of the moon as it orbits the
earth.
59. Con artist's asset: GUILE.
60. Speaker's spot: DAIS. What is the difference between
podium, lectern, and dais?
61. Homey lodgings: INNS.
62. Don Josรจ in "Carmen," e.g.: TENOR.
63. Vote of agreement: AYE.
Down:
1. Allstate competitor: AFLAC. Just one area of overlap though -
Allstate
offers auto, renter's, home, motorcycle and life insurance, while
AFLAC
offers supplemental health and life insurance.
2. Bring up to speed: CUE IN. Usually hear clue in.
3. Govt. building flier: US FLAG.
4. Vet's patient: PET.
5. Enjoy, as a restaurant: DINE AT.
6. Monroe plays one in "Some Like It Hot": UKE.
8. Daytime talk pioneer: DONAHUE.
9. Like much beer: IN A CAN. Did you know there is such a thing as
a whole chicken in a can? Not even if I were starving. (See
here
for taste test.)
10. Seductive aspect of the Force: DARK SIDE.
11. Strategic math game: NIM.
How to play Nim.
12. Sample: TRY.
14. Ludlum spy Jason: BOURNE. Robert Ludlum wrote the popular
series.
18. 24-hr. stores next to many BP stations: AMPMS.
20. Wharf: QUAY.
23. Half of seis: TRES. Pretty common crossword clue. Spanish
numbers: seis = six; TRES = three.
24. Does as told: LISTENS. I was looking for something like
obeys.
26. Sicilian smoker: ETNA.
Volcano in Italy.
27. Seacrest of morning talk: RYAN.
29. Mother's Day month: MAY.
33. Annoyed look: POUT.
34. Trade show: EXPO.
35. Totally collapse: GO TO RUIN.
36. Hindu title: SRI.
37. Island garlands: LEIS.
39. Short-stemmed brandy glass: SNIFTER.
40. App buyers: USERS.
41. White gold et al.: ALLOYS.
42. Glasgow guys: LADS.
44. Verdi's penultimate opera: OTELLO. Based on Shakespeare's
Othello.
45. Lassie, for one: COLLIE.
46. Emulating cavalry members: RIDING.
49. "That's awful!": GOD NO.
50. A-bomb tryout: N TEST.
52. Movie guru with his own grammar: YODA. Talk like others, I
don't!
55. Sports rep.: AGT.
56. To be paid: DUE.
57. Vote of disagreement: NAY.
58. Game no one wins: TIE.
