Wednesday, October 13, 2021, August Miller

Theme: THAT'S ABOUT IT

16. *Progressive Era muckraker: IDA TARBELL.

28. *12-time 35-Down All Star and TV analyst: ISIAH THOMAS.

34. *Australian swimmer with five Olympic golds: IAN THORPE.

 

46. *First daughter and senior adviser to #45: IVANKA TRUMP. 

59. '00s Britcom about an underappreciated computer support squad ... or what the answers to starred clues comprise?: THE IT CROWD.

Good morning all, Melissa here, and happy Wednesday. This is about as straightforward a theme as it gets, each two-word phrase begins with letters I (first word) and T (second word).

Across:

1. Mires: BOGS.

5. Loving smack: KISS. Ever heard of a loving smerp?

9. Kind of coach or jacket: LIFE.

13. "Bolero" composer: RAVEL.

14. Spots to clear up: ACNE.

15. Not at one's desk: AWAY. A rare occurrence for many. Except for you lucky retired folks!

18. Socially aware: WOKE.

19. Tundra deer: CARIBOU.

20. Plane engine type: FANJET. The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion.

22. CNN anchor Burnett: ERIN.

23. "Your turn": OK GO.

26. Whack, biblically: SMITE. Past tense, smote. This is a long-ish clip (5 mins), in which Archangel Michael (played by John Travolta) describes how he smote a bank.

27. Stephen of "Citizen X": REA. 1995 film based on Robert Cullum's non-fiction book The Killer Department, published in 1993.

30. Wall St. "500": SANDP. The Standard and Poor's 500, or simply the S&P 500, is a stock market index tracking the performance of 500 large companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is one of the most commonly followed equity indices.

32. PreCheck org.: TSA. That'll be extra.

33. Crave, e.g.: WANT.

38. Tijuana home: CASA. Spanish.

41. Gen-Z sweetheart: BAE.

42. Prompts: URGES.

50. Fig. of interest to a dietitian: RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance of essential nutrients.

51. Slangy "Absolutely!": TOTES. Sub for totally.

52. Petro-Canada competitor: ESSO.

53. Leave early: BAIL.

54. Appliance connection, briefly: AC PLUG.

56. Mass-times-velocity measures: MOMENTA. Plural form of momentum.

58. Swimming great Torres: DARA. Twelve-time Olympic medalist.

62. Early garden spot: EDEN.

63. Muscat's land: OMAN. Oman's port capital. The allures of Muscat, Oman.

64. Book with roads: ATLAS. Nice clue.

65. Easy gait: LOPE.

66. X-rated material: SMUT. Seeing this word more and more, it was in the last puzzle I blogged, too.

67. "__ she blows!": THAR.

Down:

1. Shady part of town: BAD AREA.

2. Of a certain reproductive gland: OVARIAN.

3. Arrive: GET IN.

4. Thick slice: SLAB. Who else thought of bacon?

5. Japanese dance-drama: KABUKI. How to enjoy your first Kabuki experience to the fullest.

6. Party bucket item: ICE.

 

7. NBC skit show: SNL. Saturday Night Live.

8. Lead-in to made or love: SELF.

9. Blades that cut blades: LAWN MOWER.

10. WWII flag-raising island: IWO JIMA. Iconic.

11. Faux glow: FAKE TAN.

12. Evaluation with a capital E?: EYE TEST.

13. Kitchen cutters: RICERS. Food is pushed or pressured through a metal or plastic plate with many small holes, producing a smoother result than mashing, but coarser than pureeing or passing through a sieve or tamis.

17. Outback hoppers: ROOS. Kangaroos.

21. Outdoor grill residue: ASH.

24. Amasses: GATHERS.

25. Very, very: OH SO.

28. Pub drink, briefly: IPA. India pale ale is a hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale.

29. Roofing goo: TAR. Haha. Smells terrible, I hate getting stuck behind one of those with the hot, smoking tar wafting behind it.

31. "Unfaithful" Oscar nominee: DIANE LANE. 2002 Erotic thriller.

35. Hoops org.: NBA.

36. London gallery: TATE. A family of four art galleries in London, Liverpool, and Cornwall, known as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, and Tate St. Ives. Tate Modern is the one in London. See here.

37. Yipping adoptee: PUP.

38. Fortress: CITADEL.

39. Much of guacamole: AVOCADO.

40. H.S. course pioneered by Stanley Kaplan: SAT PREP. Interesting fellow. In 1984, Stanley Kaplan sold his company to The Washington Post Company for $45 million.

43. Crunchy bar stuff: GRANOLA. Ohhh, that kind of bar. I was thinking bar like saloon - peanuts or pretzels.

44. Battle waged on Wikipedia: EDIT WAR.

45. Tossed courses: SALADS. Another sneaky misdirection - courses of a meal.

47. The NCAA's Wildcats: KSU. Kansas State University.

48. Govt. moneymaker: US MINT.

49. Academic: MOOT. 1. Subject to debate, dispute, or uncertainty. 2. Having little or no practical relevance, typically because the subject is too uncertain to allow a decision.

53. Sailor's quarters: BERTH. A fixed bed or bunk on a ship, train, or other means of transport.

55. Sporty muscle cars: GTOS.

57. Future MD's exam: MCAT. Kaplan of 40D can help with that, too!

60. "Let's see ... ": HMM.

61. Lac contents: EAU. Eau is the French word for water, and lac is French for lake.

Melissa