Winter's Coming!
The circles spell out words that remind us that Winter is just around the
corner. Technically, the words Ice, Sleet, Hoar and Rime are terms-of-art that have slightly different meanings, but you get the
(snow) drift.
17-Across. Words from a vacillator: I CAN'T DECIDE. Ice.
25-Across. Bedtime wish: SLEEP TIGHT. Sleet.
39-Across. Crusade: HOLY WAR. Hoar.
51-Across. Fastest-ever performance, as in a race: RECORD TIME. Rime.
And the Unifier:
63-Across. Spiky, bleached hairstyle ... or what the puzzle circles
represent: FROSTED TIPS.
Across:
1. Deputized Western group: POSSE. The word Posse comes from the Latin phrase posse comitatus, which means the
"force or power of the country".
6. African capital near ancient Carthage: TUNIS. When my sister was in the Peace Corps, she was sent to Tunis.
11. __-pitch: SLO.
14. Milo of "Romeo and Juliet" (1968): O'SHEA. Milo O'Shea
(June 2, 1926 ~ Apr. 2, 2013) portrayed Friar Laurence in this movie.
15. Ten sawbucks: C-NOTE. Technically a C-Note is a 100
dollar bill. Webster's offers a possible explanation of the origin of
how the Sawbuck came to mean a $10 bill.
16. Bench press target: PEC. // And 56-Across. Workout
count: REPS.
19. Snitch: RAT.
20. Golf bunker contents: SAND. // And 22-Across.
Golfer's goof: SLICE.
21. "__ fair in love ... ": ALL'S. The phrase "All's fair in
love and war" is attributed to the 16th Century English poet, John Lyly (1550s ~ Nov. 1606), who wrote “The rules of fair play do not apply in
love and war.”
24. Cogito __ sum: ERGO. More of today's Latin lesson.
Technically there should be a comma between the first and second word of
this phrase. Translated into English, this phrase means: I think,
therefore I am.
27. Hurry: RUSH. // And 18-Down.
Sprint: DASH.
29. Detroit NFLer: LION.
30. Religion: FAITH.
32. Swing and Disco: ERAs.
34. Casino gratuity: TOKE. In this context, Toke is short for Token of Appreciation.
38. Feel out of sorts: AIL.
42. Neither's partner: NOR. Although the United States
Postal Service has no official motto, the words "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these
couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" are found on the
8th Avenue Post Office in New York City.
43. Marvel superhero: X-MAN. There are several X-Men, so you
can take your pick.
45. Peace signs: VEEs.
46. Up and at 'em: ASTIR.
48. __ fail: unexpected disaster: EPIC. Apparently in Spain,
anyone can be an art restorer.
The Before and After the EPIC fail.
50. Pandora's box, e.g.: MYTH. Apparently, some one opened
Pandora's Box this year.
59. __ acid: AMINO.
60. Part of RBG or LBJ: Abbr.: INIT. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Mar. 14, 1933 ~ Sept. 18, 2020) and Lyndon Baines Johnson (Aug. 27, 1908 ~ Jan. 22, 1973), the 26th President of the United
States. I always though LBJ was so old, and yet he was only 64 when he
died.
61. Inter __: among others: ALIA. More of today's Latin
lesson. This phrase had become a crossword staple.
62. Doze (off): NOD.
66. Colorado tribe: UTE.
67. Word with peace or turmoil: INNER. As in Inner Peace and
Inner Turmoil. Complete opposites.
68. Ancient letters: RUNES.
69. __ capita: PER.
70. Individual preference: TASTE.
71. Salon board abrasive: EMERY.
Down:
1. Self-assurance: POISE.
2. Subject of a seasonal buzz or nod: OSCAR. The official
name of the of the Oscar is the Academy Award of Merit. Legend has it
that it was called Oscar because the Academy librarian thought the statuette
looked like her Uncle Oscar. The statuette is 13 1/2 inches tall and
weighs 8.5 pounds.
3. Utopia in "Lost Horizon": SHANGRI-LA. I read Lost Horizon
by James Hilton (Sept. 9, 1900 ~ Dec. 20, 1954) when I was in high school.
I remember I really liked the novel.
4. Emit: SEND OUT.
5. Dog-dog connection?: EAT. It's a Dog Eat Dog world.
6. Immune system agent: T-CELL. Everything you wanted to
know about T-Cells but were afraid to ask.
7. "I give up!": UNCLE. This has become a crossword staple.
8. Regulations affecting loud parties: NOISE LAWS.
9. "__ be an honor!": IT'D.
10. Deals with: SEES TO.
11. Hint of mint: SPRIG.
12. Extract, as lye from ashes: LEACH.
13. The planets, since Pluto's demotion: OCTET. I was very
reluctant to remove Eight.
Before Pluto's demotion.
23. Dryer trap fuzz: LINT.
26. Leaning Tower city: PISA.
28. Exam proctor's reminder: SHH!
30. Copier function: FAX. Does anyone still use a fax?
31. Intention: AIM.
32. Primaries, say: ELECTIONs. Thank goodness the elections
are over.
33. Manhattan liquor: RYE. How to make a Manhattan.
35. At risk: ON THE LINE.
36. Pond carp: KOI.
37. Slip up: ERR. To ERR is human ...
40. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID.
41. Bit of sunshine: RAY. A CSO to our own Ray-o-Sunshine.
44. Gas in signs: NEON.
47. Layer: STRATUM.
49. Monetary gain: PROFIT.
50. Parcel (out): METE.
51. Accumulated, as debts: RAN UP.
52. Act with great passion: EMOTE.
53. Fall beverage: CIDER.
54. Map within a map: INSET.
55. British bishop's headdress: MITRE. The word, whether
spelled the British way or the American way, comes from a Greek word
meaning Headband or Turban. Justin Welby
(b. Jan. 6, 1956) is the current Archbishop of Canterbury.
57. "Pied" folklore guy: PIPER. The Pied Piper was supposedly hired to rid the German town of Hamelin of its rats.
Unfortunately, the towns people failed to pay him, so he took revenge by
took the away, never to be seen again.
58. Given to insolence: SASSY. If I sassed back to my
grandmother, she would wash my mouth out with soap. It happened to me
more than once. I must have liked the taste of the soap.
64. "Messenger" letters: RNA.
65. Beats by __: audio equipment brand: DRE. I was not
familiar with this company. Apparently, it was founded by the rapper Dr.
Dre (né Andre Romelle Young; b. Feb. 18, 1965), who makes occasional
appearances in the crossword puzzles. Since 2014, it has been a
subsidiary of Apple.
Here's the Grid:
