Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with the line on today's puzzle. Today's constructors are Dave Taber & Laura Moll. They have had at least two previous puzzles reviewed here on The Corner (24 November 2021 and just last week on 22 June 2022) and there are references to them on the Crossword Fiend site.
There is no reveal as such in today's puzzle. However, a recurring hint to the theme is included in each of the themed clues. There are three of these, one of which is in two parts. Those clues all have "LINE" as part of the clue so I guess that's the party line and I'm sticking to it.
12 Across: Hotline?: I'M ON FIRE. A line about being "hot". The Boss, perhaps, said it best:
19 Across: Deadline?: ET TU BRUTE. From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Spoken as Caesar is being stabbed to death. A line about "Dead".
39 Across: Clothesline?: KEEP YOUR PANTS ON. Colloquialism for "be patient". Pants are clothes. A line about "Clothes".
57 Across: With 69-Across, Lifeline?: HE LIKES IT.
69 Across: See 57-Across: HEY MIKEY.
A line about "Life" cereal.
1. Gratuity: TIP. Fifteen percent? Eighteen percent? Twenty percent? Before or including tax?
4. Bow (out): OPT.
7. Personal records: BESTS.
15. Only state that shares a time zone with Alaska: HAWAII. On the map below, in the only double-sized rectangle, west of the tip of Baja California and south of Alaska, you will see the Hawaiian Islands .
16. Bag: CUP OF TEA. Precisely, at the 0:33 and 1:40 marks:
17. Brunch order: OMELET. A dish often served in crossword puzzles
18. Gush: SPEW.
21. The WNBA's Dream, on sports crawls: ATL. Women's National Basketball Association.
18. Gush: SPEW.
21. The WNBA's Dream, on sports crawls: ATL. Women's National Basketball Association.
24. Unremarkable: SO SO. Meh.
25. Uno y uno: DOS. La lección de matemáticas de hoy.
26. Grapefruit choice: RUBY RED.
30. Flunky: PEON.
32. Tony Shalhoub's role on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel": ABE. He also played Monk on the eponymous TV show.
33. Big brutes: OGRES.
35. Dutch guilder successor: EURO. Also the successor to many other EUROpean currencies.
43. Celtic language: ERSE.
44. Took the wheel: DROVE.
45. Bird in the bush: EMU. An EMU also visited us yesterday and a photograph taken from one of those inane insurance company commercials was used in the recap.
49. Long rants: TIRADES.
54. Boldly state: AVER. I always forget the difference between AVER and AVOW. By definition AVER means to acknowledge and AVOW mean to declare. No wonder I can't keep 'em straight. See also 68 Across
56. Have an ugly cry: SOB.
60. Helter-skelter: AMOK.
65. Seafood appetizer: CRAB CAKE.
68. State with confidence: ASSERT. See also 54 Across.
70. Hockey fake-outs: DEKES.
71. Fine-grained wood: YEW. Often clued with an archery reference.
72. Paper polishers, in brief: EDS. EDitorS. Could have been clued with Ames and Begley.
Down:
1. Personal quirks: TICS.
2. Happy cry from an eager Little Leaguer: I'M UP. Next at bat in the baseball game.
3. Leader who wears the Ring of the Fisherman: POPE.
4. Having a bad day: OFF. If you're OFF (from work) it could be a good day.
5. Start to fall?: PIT. PITfall. One of those types of clues.
6. With 15-Down, kids' hangout: TREE.
7. Material for some cutting boards: BAMBOO. Panda's like it, too.
8. Ceremonial pitcher: EWER. Often seen in crossword puzzles.
10. Couple with: TIE TO. Today's I-had-better-not-go-there moment.
11. Surfing stops: SITES. Not an oceanic reference. A WWW reference.
13. "Get out of town!": NO WAY.
14. Breaks bread: EATS.
15. See 6-Down: HOUSE.
22. 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Polamalu: TROY. Perhaps best known for his hair.
23. Minifigure maker: LEGO.
27. Company that moves people: UBER.
28. Quilting parties: BEES.
31. __ worth: NET. My financial advisor asked me, "What's your NET worth"? I replied, "I don't own a net".
34. Mess up: ERR.
36. Outside the box?: USED. No longer new and in the box.
37. Capital on the Tiber: ROME. Tiber River.
38. Burden: ONUS.
40. Delt neighbor: PEC. A musculature reference.
41. Car rental giant: AVIS.
47. Team featured in the HBO sports drama "Winning Time": LAKERS. This TV series took a lot of (well deserved) flack. There's another TV show with a different take on the subject on the horizon.
48. For all to see: OVERT.
50. Ancient calculators: ABACI. Allan Sherman explains plurals:
51. Still to come: AHEAD.
52. Short and probably not sweet: TERSE.
53. Chemist's container: FLASK. Works for whisky (0r whiskey), too.
55. "Diving Into the Wreck" poet Adrienne: RICH. A learning moment.
58. "Aha! Say no more": I SEE.
59. Long shot, in hoops lingo: TREY. A three-point shot in basketball.
61. Produce: MAKE.
62. Gave clearance: OK'ED. Some people are OKay with marijuana and alcohol but cocaine is where they draw the line.
63. Home openers?: KEYS. Not a sports reference. If you hadn't yet switched to digital pad locks you'd use KEYS to unlock the doors to your home.
66. "All in favor, say __": AYE.
67. Automaker whose "M" stands for "Motoren": BMW.
Well, that wraps it up for this recap and for my fifth recap in twenty nine days. I will now take my leave with an even greater appreciation for those, here, who write up the puzzles each and every week.
Dave and Laura, you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever in the Comments section. We'd love to hear from you.
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