Tuesday November 22, 2022 Susy Christiansen and Doug Peterson

 Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here, substitute blogging a second week for our Tuesday star, Hahtoolah.

Today's theme is        Some Assembly Required.

Susy Christiansen and Doug Peterson put together today's puzzle. The connection between the 4 themers is difficult to discern until we see the reveal so let's begin there:

66. Across.  Essentials, or what the first words of the answers to the starred clues are: NUTS AND BOLTS. the basic, practical details

Basically, the first 2 themers give us types of NUTS and the last 2 give us types of BOLTS.

NUTS    ~    HICKORY NUTS and BEER NUTS

BOLTS    ~    DEAD BOLTS and THUNDERBOLTS

This might be one of those situations where seeing the completed grid up front is helpful.

And now for the 4 themers:

18. Across *  Gift basket retailer known for cheese and smoked sausage: HICKORY FARMS.

Hickory Farms

Hickory Nuts

How to Identify and Eat Hickory Nuts

27. Across *  Oktoberfest venues: BEER GARDENS. "A beer garden (German:  Biergarten) is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. They originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain common in Southern Germany. They are usually attached to a brewery, beer hall, pub, or restaurant" (Wiki)

Beer Nuts

(Note #1:  I like that the constructors chose to not go with another member of the nut family for the 2nd themer. Beer nuts are actually peanuts that have been boiled in water with sugar then salted. 4.5 star recipe)

42. Across *  Robin Williams drama set at a prep school: DEAD POETS SOCIETY.

Dead Poets Society (1989) movie trailer

dead bolt

54. Across *  Classic Ford model: THUNDERBIRD. 

(Note#2: a small NIT here in that Ford spells "Thunderbird" as one word so "thunder" is technically not the first word of the answer to this starred clue.)

Suzanne Somers drove a 1956 T-Bird in American Graffiti (1973),

directed and co-written by George Lucas.

THUNDERBOLT (noun):  a flash of lightning with a simultaneous crash of thunder.

I got a bit in the weeds on the difference between a lightning bolt and a thunder bolt.

Let's see if we can assemble the rest of the grid:

Across:
1. Oktoberfest mugs: STEINS. used at 27A

7. Possessed: OWNED.  not the creepy, demon kind of "possessed"

12. Battleship letters: USS. United States Ship  The "Mighty Mo" was the last American battleship ever built. 

15. Sit-up kin: CRUNCH.  sit-ups vs. crunches

16. Letter-shaped violin opening: F-HOLE.  a bit of F-HOLE history

17. "Picked" complaint: NIT.  See Note #2 (above)

20. __-la-la: TRA.  a phrase of merriment; said when doing something and trying to make yourself seem innocent; used when there is nothing to say

21. Director Brooks: MEL.  Multi-talented Mel is also an actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, and producer.

22. Soccer family rides: SUVS.  Sport Utility VehicleS

23. More frigid: ICIER.

25. Lyrical: ODIC.  I am not loving this one. It gets my Giant Leap Award.

Giant Leap Award

 

31. "What's up, __?": DOC.

voiced by Mel Blanc -- not 21A Mel Brooks

33. Unlike Bond's martini: STIRRED.

This happens to me all the time.

34. Wunderkind: PHENOM.  a person who is outstandingly talented or admired, especially an up-and-comer.

37. Highchair fashion: BIB.

38. Seehorn of "Better Call Saul": RHEA.

2 rheas and a Rhea

46. Actress Hathaway: ANNE. Here is her Oscar-winning performance in Les Miserables (2012).

47. Texter's caveat: IMO.  In My Opinion.  for days when you are not feeling Humble

48. Edit: REVISE.

49. Xylophone kin: MARIMBA.

difference between a xylophone and a MARIMBA

53. Went first: LED.  as in, "We led the way."

58. Window ledge: SILL.

61. Low voice: BASSO.

62. Hammer target: NAIL.

I wonder if he has any nuts & bolts???

64. Campground chain HQ'd in Billings, MT: KOA.  founded in 1962; more than 500 locations

65. Natural resource: ORE.

71. Broadcaster with regular pledge drives: NPR.

Donate and you might get a tote bag!

72. Deep-seated: INNER.

73. Military gesture: SALUTE.

74. Shaved head?: ESS.  as in the letter "S". "Head" can mean "the front of" as in "head of the class". So the "front of" the word "shaved" is the letter "S".

I filled this with perps then it took me a long time to make sense of it.

S'pose super savvy solvers suspected sneakiness so successfully sussed something sooner!

75. Skewered appetizer served with peanut sauce: SATAY.

Delicious street food in Thailand!

76. Seismic event: TREMOR.  (Hi Jace!)

Down:
1. Hard-to-like person: SCHMO. Our Ch. Moe is very likable!

schmo  /SHmō/

Learn to pronounce

noun

INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN

1. a stupid person.
2. a hypothetical ordinary man.
3. noun: Joe Schmo; plural noun: Joe Schmoes; plural noun: Joe Schmos

2. Did one's best: TRIED. and true

3. Type of geometry: EUCLIDEAN.  Hands down, best fill of the day! If you wrote proofs involving lines, angles, triangles, quadrilaterals, etc. in high school, then you did Euclidean Geometry. It is beautiful stuff!

4. Ballpoint pen filler: INK.

5. GIs with chevrons: NCOS.  Non-Commissioned OfficerS

6. Landscaping bush: SHRUB.

7. Compensate for: OFFSET. as in "the gains offset the losses"

8. "Huh ... ?": WHAtttt???? My runner-up for the Giant Leap Award (see 25A).

9. Fin. neighbor: NOR.  FINland is abbreviated, so is NORway.

10. Stately tree: ELM.

11. Long for: DESIRE.

12. Disentangle: UNTIE.  (Hi Jinx!)

13. Warning signal: SIREN.  Did you know that before fire trucks had sirens, Dalmatian dogs  ran alongside the horses to clear the way so the wagon could get to the fire quickly?

Nowadays they mostly just drive the truck.

14. Plays the lead: STARS.

19. First name in fashion: YVES. Saint Laurent

24. Outmoded data readers on PCs: CD DRIVES.

26. Denounces: CONDEMNS.  Haters gonna hate.

28. Corduroy ridges: RIBS.

29. Pinot __: white wine grape: GRIS.  aka Pinot Grigio. This wine pairs better with fish than with your Thanksgiving turkey. Serve ice cold.

30. Ann __, Michigan: ARBOR.

32. Arresting figure?: COP.  Fun wordplay! You have the right to remain silent....

34. Couple's indiscretion, for short: PDA.  Public Display of Affection

35. Female lobster: HEN.  some lobster info. I wish I could unread

36. Rippled pattern: MOIRE.

Kinda groovy!

39. Judge on "America's Got Talent": HEIDI KLUM.  It is interesting that Heidi Klum's symmetrical partner in this grid is EUCLIDIAN.

40. Sci-fi aviators: ETS.  ExtraTerrestrialS

41. Nautical "yes": AYE.

43. Mideast leader: EMIR.

44. "Lara Croft: __ Raider": TOMB.

It is important to dress appropriately when raiding tombs.

45. Animation collectible: CEL.  "Cel" is short for "celluoid", the transparent sheet on which the characters where once hand-drawn. In 1990, Disney switched to computer animation.  prices of desirable cels

50. Aphrodite's love: ADONIS. the god of beauty & attraction

51. Consisting of two parts: BINARY.

52. Galway Bay island group: ARAN.

54. Steakhouse order: T-BONE.

55. Pluckable instruments: HARPS.

56. Computer operators: USERS.

57. Quaint "performed": DIDST.  (archaic) a form of the past tense of "do"

59. State drawing: LOTTO.  Haha! I see what they did there. Not an artistic "drawing".

60. __ pointer: LASER.

63. Letter-shaped brace: L-BAR.

Nuts & Bolts not included

67. Spanish "a": UNA.

68. Blasting material: TNT.  TriNitroToluene

Wile E. Coyote and The Roadrunner in TNT Trouble

69. Aquaman's realm: SEA.

Jason Momoa in Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom (2023)

70. Fútbol fan's cry: OLE.

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

P.S.  Just a reminder... here is Hahtoolah’s note from 11/8/22:

If you are reading this on Tuesday, I will likely be on the crossword puzzle's favorite airline heading towards Tel Aviv.  Part business, part fun.  Unlike the song, however, I do know when I will be back.  See you at the end of the month.  You will be in capable hands during my absence.

Notes from C.C.:

 1) Thanks for subbing for the past two Tuesdays, sumdaze!

2) Hahtoolah is now safely back home. She sent me these two pictures with captions:

 

 Here I am outside the Agam Museum in Rishon LeTsiyon, Israel.

The Path to Peace is a mosaic creation designed by Israeli artist Tsameret Zamir, on the border wall dividing Israel and Gaza.  Visitors to the area are invited to add their own mosaics.