Wednesday, October 27, 2021, Craig Stowe

Theme: ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE

16. Big name in plant food: MIRACLE GRO.

28. "Despite my best attempts ... ": TRY AS I MAY.

 

36. "That makes more sense": I SEE NOW.

43. Kitchen gadget: CAN OPENER.

 

56. Home with a between-floors entrance ... and what can be found on puzzle rows 3, 6, 8 and 10?: SPLIT LEVEL.

 

Hi all, Melissa here. This theme was a real challenge to sort out. In rows 3, 6, 8 and 10, there is a word that can precede LEVEL that is SPLIT across two words. GROUND LEVEL; ENTRY LEVEL; NOISE LEVEL (Thanks, Owen!), ENERGY LEVEL. See?

 

 Row 10 contains the reveal 56A, SPLIT LEVEL.

 

 Whew! That was a brain workout! Maybe some of you got it faster than I did.

Across: 

1. Like many a basement: DAMP.

5. Hold dear: VALUE.

10. Breakfast companion?: BED. Bed & Breakfast.

13. __ vaccine: ORAL.

14. As a companion: ALONG. That was tricky. "She came along/as a companion."

15. Soup du __: JOUR. French. "Made for a particular day," or "of the day."

18. Reverse: UNDO.

19. Also: TOO.

20. G.I. entertainment often featuring Bob Hope: USO SHOW. Anyone watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel? I re-watched from the beginning and am back to Season 3 where Miriam is performing at USO SHOWs. Season 4 is expected in early 2022.

 

 

22. Through street: ARTERIAL. An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed.

26. Hollywood Walk of Fame symbols: STARS.

 

 

27. Get duded up: PREEN.

30. Bladed tool: HOE.

31. Enjoyed the buffet: ATE.

32. [as per the original]: SIC. “Intentionally so written.” When used after the quoted material, “sic” indicates that the words preceding it are an exact transcription from the original source, including any spelling mistakes, non-standard spelling, or grammatical errors. 

33. First section of the "Divine Comedy": INFERNO.

40. Witticism: MOT.

41. Big bang letters?: TNT.

42. Keep __ distance: AT A.
 
47. Greek wraps: GYROS.

49. Take the floor: ORATE.

50. Unlike bikinis: ONE PIECE. Bathing suits. Bikinis are, of course, two pieces.

52. Handicraft worker: ARTISAN.

54. Something up one's sleeve: ARM. Haha.

55. Jackson family musician born Toriano: TITO. The third of the ten Jackson children.

62. Smooth (out): EVEN.

63. Events with kings and queens: PROMS.

64. Shade of blue: NAVY.

65. "__ Rosenkavalier": DER. German. The Knight of the Rose or The Rose-Bearer is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss. 

66. Lathered up: SOAPY.

67. Slush Puppie parent company: ICEE. Have heard of Icee of course, but not Slush Puppie.

Down: 

1. __ Pérignon: DOM.

2. "Hereditary" director Aster: ARI. Horror film. Which explains why I hadn't heard of it.

3. Deface: MAR.

4. Missouri River feeder: PLATTE.

5. Heroism: VALOR.

6. Blonde beverage: ALE.

7. Part of a cord: LOG. Nice clue.

8. Like a mob scene: UNRULY.

9. They might clash on stage: EGOS. Off-stage, too.

10. Actress Helena __ Carter: BONHAM.

11. Email program named after writer Welty: EUDORA. A Eulogy For Eudora.

12. Half-asleep: DROWSY.

15. Supreme Court figure: JUSTICE.

17. Filmmaker Ethan or Joel: COEN. The Coen Brothers. Fans will enjoy this video, You Know It's The Coen Brothers IF ...

21. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE. He played De Mayor. Do The Right Thing is often listed among the greatest films of all time. In 1999, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress, in its first year of eligibility, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry

22. "East of Eden" brother: ARON. Twins Aron and Caleb.

23. Sailing hazard: REEF. Below, the crew of Team Vestas Wind with their boat after it ran into a coral reef near Mauritius. How the Team Vestas Wind crash really happened, and the crucial things we can learn from it.

24. "Leave __ me": IT TO.

25. Exist: ARE.

27. Letter after upsilon: PHI.

29. Helper: Abbr.: ASST.

31. Payment before a deal: ANTE. Card games. A stake put up by a player in poker and similar games before receiving cards.

34. Sentiment: EMOTION.

35. Lures (in): ROPES.

36. Concerning: IN RE. Latin for "in the matter of."

37. Snitch (on): NARC. Used to mean someone who secretly gives inside information to the police, informing on others who are engaging in illegal activity.

38. Chiwere speaker: OTOE. Chiwere is a Siouan language originally spoken by the Missouria, OTOE, and Iowa peoples, who originated in the Great Lakes region but later moved throughout the midwest and plains.

39. Used to be: WAS.

41. Royal flush card: TEN. More with card games. An ace-high straight flush, such as A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ 10♦, is called a royal flush or royal straight flush and is the best possible hand in high games when not using wild cards.

43. Like many candies: COATED.

44. Get in: ARRIVE. What time did you get in/arrive?

45. Ramble on and on: NATTER.

46. Amateur: NONPRO. Not a term I've heard used before, but it works.

47. Birth announcement word: GIRL.

48. Sana'a native: YEMENI. Sana'a is the capital, and largest city in Yemen. 

 51. One taking a fall: PATSY. Why is it called a patsy?

53. Egyptian slitherers: ASPS. Snakes.

57. Mauna __: LOA.

58. Little devil: IMP.

59. Device that may be wet or dry, briefly: VAC.

60. End of the day: EVE. Evening.

61. Cleaning ingredient: LYE.

 

Melissa

 

Note from C.C.:

 

Happy 74th birthday to Boomer, who continues to bowl and coach the kids despite his various health issues.