Theme: "Spa Menu"
Tracy Gray is no stranger to the crosswording world. Her puzzles have appeared frequently in "that other newspaper." But, as near as I can tell, this is only her second LAT entry. The first was a 2021 collaboration with Jeff Chen. For those of you who've been asking for fewer proper names, fewer pop culture references, and fewer "cute" clue/answers, today is your day. The majority of this puzzle consists of straight-forward clue definitions/synonyms. Enjoy. I finished this puzzle and had no idea what the theme might be. Wednesday themeless? Probably not. It finally dawned on me that perhaps there was a reveal clue that I'd somehow failed to read. Yup. Tucked in at 63d was SPA. -- "Place to enjoy the kinds of pampering found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues." Hmmmm, so there were starred clues as well. Hadn't noticed that.
18a. *Operating room assistants. SCRUB NURSES.
A spa SCRUB could be an exfoliating, exhilarating, moisturizing
experience. In any case, it usually involves being rubbed with an
abrasive product like coffee, salt, or nutshell husks. Sounds like fun.
[Not!]
28a. *Employ flowery language. WAX POETIC, à la Chairman Moe or
OwenKL. According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of "WAX" is "to
assume a (specified) characteristic, quality, or state : BECOME." At
the spa it's more likely to involve a bikini wax -- liquid wax applied,
allowed to dry, and then ripped off like a band-aid. Sounds like fun.
[Not!]
36. *Indulgent request made by Mae West in "I'm No Angel": PEEL ME A GRAPE.
A facial PEEL involves having caustic goop smeared on your
face...allowing it to "set a spell"...and then wiping it off. This
kills off the top layer of skin which you can rip off in a day or two,
like a sunburn. Sounds like fun. [Not!]
52a. #Cast celebration. WRAP PARTY. The WRAP party is held after major movie shooting has been completed. At the spa, a WRAP is often liquid mud which is applied, allowed to dry, and then ripped off like a band-aid. Sounds like fun. [Not!] Have you noticed that the spa is beginning to sound like a rip-off joint?
61a. *Retail event with deep discounts. BLOW OUT SALE. When it comes to the spa...hmmmm...don't think I want to go there.
Across:
1. Boarding area: GATE. At the airport.
5. Sugar substitute: STEVIA.
11. Liberal group?: ARTS. Where I fearlessly sifted and winnowed, that part of the university was the College of Letters and Science.
15. Strait-laced: PRIM. And proper.
16. How stir-fry is often served: ON RICE. Rice is that fine Houston institution where Uncle Ben was converted.
17. Vichyssoise need: LEEK. Learning moment. Did not know that
LEEKs were an essential ingredient. On the other hand, I've never had
vichyssoise, so how would I know? I tend to avoid foods I can't spell.
20. Hathaway of "Ocean's 8": ANNE.
21. "__ as directed": USE.
22. "Dig in!": EAT. Grace ender.
23. __ Pueblo, New Mexico: TAOS. When we visited, dw was taken
with some pottery with a silvery-charcoal appearance. We were told that
horse manure was involved. Maybe Waseeley can elaborate.
25. Aardvark snack: ANT.
26. Dog in RCA Victor ads: NIPPER. Here he is atop the old RCA Building in Albany, just for Irish Miss.
30. Native peoples of the Arctic: INUIT. Will it be ALEUT, INUIT, or YUPIK? Only the perps know for certain.
31. React to yeast: RISE.
32. Lightning burst: FLASH.
33. Number in a 10-day forecast, for short: TEMP. Around here the TEMPs have been scary-high all month, and it's only June. I dread the next electric bill.
34. Connecticut WNBA team: SUN.
35. "Argo" org.: CIA.
In this 2012 movie a CIA operative attempts to rescue six Americans
detained in Tehran during the '79 hostage crisis. Received 96% on the
Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes.
41. Utter: SAY.
42. Route: WAY. As seen on your 1d.
43. Hissy fit: SNIT.
46. Come to pass: OCCUR.
49. For you and me: OURS.
51. Brief tussle: SET-TO. Without the hyphen it just means "to begin."
54. Early '90s pres., familiarly: BUSH SR. When I ventured into
the awl patch in the early '80s, I joined a company that he'd started.
Never met him; he was no longer affiliated with it.
55. Hasty escape: LAM. Have you everr heard anybody say it...except Mary, of course?
56. Education acronym: STEM. I've also seen it as STEAM -- the A is for Arts.
57. Plot device?: HOE. Har-de-har-har. A little attempt at humor...very little.
58. Grammy category since 1989: RAP. Have never been a fan.
59. Black-__ Susan: EYED. Hahtoolah is a Susan, but she's not black-eyed.
64. "To Venus and Back" singer Amos: TORI. This was TORI's fifth album, a two-disc affair. It has no title track.
65. Categorize: ASSORT. Assorted chocolates does sound more appetizing than categorized chocolates, but "chocolates" never sounds bad.
66. Walk heavily: PLOD.
67. Hidden obstacle: SNAG.
68. Jackson Hole backdrop: TETONS. Visited there in the mid '60s
on a summer college road trip with a buddy. We also stayed one night
at the Broadmoor and took in a Smothers Brothers show on that trip.
69. Sax type: ALTO. Invented by Belgian Adolphe Sax back in the mid-1800s. There are at least 14 different types. You can check 'em out HERE.
Down:
2. Inverse trig function: ARCSINE. Arcsine(theta) is the angle whose sine is theta. This c/a is a tad arcane for the non-math-oriented. See what I did there?
3. Cyclist's accessory: TIRE PUMP. Won't do you much good, unless you also carry a tube patching kit.
4. Ostrich kin: EMU.
5. Underwater detector: SONAR. Evokes memories of a sonar lesson for Seaman Beaumont in The Hunt For Red October. Lucky for you, I couldn't find a clip.
6. Bolt holder: T-NUT.
7. Throw wide of the cutoff man, say: ERR. Sports clue, I'm guessin'.
8. Panoramic views: VISTAS. Like this one.
9. Mountaineering tool: ICE AXE. Six letters, four vowels, what's not to like if you're a crossword constructor?
10. Greek fabulist: AESOP. There's some question whether he actually existed.
11. Taking after: À LA. In the fashion of, or somesuch.
12. First name of Italian sopranos Tebaldi and Scotto: RENATA. Some might consider this an obscure proper name.
13. Wimbledon sport: TENNIS.
14. Quick drawing: SKETCH.
19. Vegetable that may stain a cutting board: BEET. You either love 'em or hate 'em.
24. Bulgaria's capital: SOFIA.
27. Joins the conversation: PIPES UP.
28. Viognier or Vouvray: WINE. I've never had either. Have I mentioned that I tend to avoid foods (and drinks) that I can't spell?
29. Ticks by: ELAPSES.
31. Mojito liquor: RUM. Brunchy. GIN or RYE could also fit...but would be wrong.
34. Shifty: SLY.
35. Shed tears: CRY.
37. O.K. Corral brothers: EARPS. Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan all made an appearance that day. We visited Tombstone and watched the re-enactment.
38. Askew: AWRY.
39. Neon or freon: GAS.
40. Captivate: ENTHRALL. Tried ENTRANCE first. Wite-Out, please.
44. "This is all more than I can handle": IT'S A LOT.
45. Ruin, as plans: TORPEDO. In my ute these frozen summer treats were called "Torpedoes."
46. Nocturnal nestlings: OWLETS. "Nocturnal" gives it away.
47. Medium for most refrigerator art: CRAYON.
48. Shape outlined in Instagram's logo: CAMERA.
49. Vague threat: OR ELSE.
50. Absolute: UTMOST.
51. Haggis ingredient: SUET. Never had it. Have I mentioned that I also tend to avoid some foods that I can spell?
53. Baseball stat: AT BAT.
54. Matches: BOUTS.
57. Rhinoceros feature: HORN. The horn is made of keratin, the
same material as fingernails. Some folks mistakenly believe the horn
has magical/medicinal properties. Rhinos are endangered, due to
poaching and habitat loss.
60. Use a spade: DIG.
62. Court: WOO.
63. Place to enjoy the kinds of pampering found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues: SPA. This is a perfectly good "reveal" clue. If only folks would take the time to read them. D'oh.
Here's the grid courtesy of C.C. Desper-otto out.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Thank you so much for filling in the two Wednesdays in June, D-Otto! Thanks for always coming to my rescue.
2) Happy 56th birthday to Barry G, a regular in our blog in the earlier days. Barry, the other day Janice, a long-time reader who never commented on our blog, mentioned you in her letter to Boomer. It made me smile. You're still remembered and missed by many.
