Instant Messaging: I caught the I / M connection early on, but thought the unifier
would refer to Instant Messaging. Still, I'M DOWN with this puzzle,
since all the theme clues are in the down position and are two-word phases
where the first word begins withIand the second word begins withM.
3-Down. * "A Matter of Life and Death" heavy metal band: IRON MAIDEN. [Name adjacent.]
9-Down. * Ralph Ellison novel about the Black American
experience: INVISIBLE MAN. Invisible Man was first published in 1952. It was a debut
novel for Ralph Ellison (Mar. 1, 1914 ~ Apr. 16, 1994), for which he won the United States
National Book Award for Fiction in 1953. Ellison was the first
African-American writer to win this award. [Name # 1.]
22-Down. * Fencer seeking revenge in "The Princess Bride": INIGO MONTOYA. Mandy Patinkin (né Mandel Bruce Patinkin; b. Nov. 30, 1952) portrayed
Inigo Montoya in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride. [Name #
2.]
32-Down. * Noisy amenity in a motel hallway: ICE MACHINE. If you're in the market for one, you can learn about someone's list of top 10
commercial ice machines in the
below.
And the unifier:
53-Down. "Count me in!," or an apt description of the answers to the starred
clues: I'M DOWN!
Before we go any further, it's Mardi Gras, y'all! Catch the excitement
of the day and party down with this puzzle.
Across:
1. Opera solos: ARIAS.
6. Afrobeat pioneer Fela __: KUTI. Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (né Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; Oct. 15, 1938 ~ Aug. 2,
1997) was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is considered
the Father of Afrobeat, which is a combination of West African music with
American funk and jazz. Probably not a Tuesday name. [Name # 3.]
10. Atlas pages: MAPS.
14. Birdcage feature: PERCH.
15. Part of, as a plan: IN ON.
16. __ vera: ALOE. This is the Tuesday word. It has
now appeared in the last consecutive Tuesdays.
17. Creamy dip for French fries: AIOLI. This is a good
crossword word due to all the vowels. Everything you wanted to know
about Aioli, but didn't know to ask.
18. Attractive person with gray hair: SILVER FOX. This
probably applies to many of us on the blog, although I added a touch of pink
to my hair.
20. Anderson Cooper's channel: CNN. Anderson Hays Cooper (b.
June 3, 1967) is the son of the late Gloria Vanderbilt (Feb.. 20, 1924 ~ June
17, 2019). His book, Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, was actually quite good. [Name #4.]
21. Female sib: SIS. I have one.
23. Like some restrictions: DIETARY. If you are going to
serve alligator to your guests, you might want to ask if anyone has any
dietary restrictions first.
24. Pea soup flavorer: HAM BONE. This answer took me a while to
figure out. It's not kosher.
26. Hit the slopes: SKI.
27. Genesis twin: ESAU. The two brothers had a disagreement
of 37-Down proportions.
28. Many a Farsi speaker: IRANI. The Farsi, or
Persian, alphabet is based on the Arabic script.
31. Singer Simone: NINA. Nina Simone (née Eunice Kathleen
Waymon; Feb. 21, 1933 ~ Apr. 21, 2003) makes occasional guest appearances in
the crossword puzzles. [Name # 5.]
35. Hep "Gotcha": I DIG.
37. Scripture-related: BIBLICAL.
39. Perform a simple operation?: ADD.
41. Safe to drink: POTABLE. // And 43-Across. Org.
that ensures water is 41-Across: EPA. As in the Environmental Protection Agency.
44. No-win situations?: TIE GAMES.
46. Medical checkup: EXAM.
48. Singer Del Rey: LANA. I am not familiar with Lana Del
Rey (née Elizabeth Woolridge Grant; b. June 21, 1985). [Name # 6.]
49. Greek theater: ODEUM. Today's lesson in Ancient Greek.
51. Scandinavian people: SAMI. Everything you wanted to know
about the Sami people, but didn't know to ask. [Name adjacent.]
54. "Encanto" songwriter __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.
Encanto is an animated Disney film. Lin-Manuel
Miranda (b. Jan. 16, 1980) is best known for Hamilton. [Name # 7.]
56. Recorder mounted to a windshield: DASH CAM.
58. Dawn on: OCCUR TO.
62. Political org. with a donkey symbol: DNC. As in
the Democratic National Committee. Enough said.
63. Stashed: HID.
64. "I can be better": SHAME ON ME.
66. __ acid: AMINO.
68. Speech therapy subject: LISP.
69. Average gestation period for a dolphin: YEAR. Animals
with long gestation periods.
70. Button on a library app: RENEW.
71. Vow: OATH.
72. "This might be broken" shorthand: AS IS.
73. No-nonsense: STERN.
Down:
1. People of the southern Great Plains: APACHE. [Name
adjacent.]
2. Spanish queens: REINAs. Today's Spanish lesson. Hi,
Lucina! Can you name the top 10 most famous Spanish Queens?
4. Knee part, for short: ACL. As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. Definitely not a Tuesday clue and answer.
Apparently, it is easily injured.
5. Mint leaf used as a sushi garnish: SHISO. Hand up if you
knew about Shiso. We eat a lot of sushi, but I am not familiar with this mint leaf.
6. Mouth, slangily: KISSER.
7. Prefix with cycle: UNI-.
8. Ratted (on): TOLD.
10. "Dirty" cocktail: MARTINI.
11. Automaker __ Romeo: ALFA. Alfa Romeo is an Italian
luxury car maker, known for sports-oriented vehicles and car racing. The
company was founded in June 1910 and the name is an acronym for Anonima
Lombardi Fabbrica Automobili, which means Lombardian Car Factory. Romeo
was added to the name in 1915 after Nicola Romero (Apr. 28, 1879 ~ Aug. 15,
1938) took control of the company in 1915. [Name adjacent.]
12. Shoddy: POOR.
13. Erotic: SEXY.
19. Shriek of fear: EEK!
25. Future flower: BUD.
29. Demean: ABASE.
30. Quill tip: NIB.
33. Siesta: NAP.
34. In the style of: À LA.
36. Bitter brew, briefly: IPA. As in India Pale Ale.
38. Supervillain Luthor: LEX. The supervillain in the
comics. [Name # 8.]
39. Georgia airport: Abbr.: ATL. Formally known as the
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It is named after two
former Atlanta mayors: William Berry Hartsfield (Mar. 1, 1890 ~ Feb. 22, 1971)
and Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. (1938 ~ 2003). The former was a
six-term mayor and was in office in the late 1930s to the 1960s.
The latter served three terms in the 1970 and 1990s. [Name
adjacent.]
40. Part of una semana: DIA. More of today's Spanish lesson.
A day makes up a part of the week.
42. Actor Danson: TED. Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson,
III; b. Dec. 29, 1947) is probably best known for portraying Sam Malone on
Cheers, but did you known he was a model before he got into acting?
[Name # 9.]
45. Walk oafishly, like the Jabberwock slayer: GALUMPH.
Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll (né Charles Lutwidge Dodgson; Jan. 27, 1832 ~ Jan. 14, 1898). You can read it here.
47. Campfire residue: ASH.
50. Calf feeders: UDDERS.
52. Pine Tree State resident: MAINER. I thought we were
called Mainiacs.
55. Burning anger: IRE. A crossword staple.
57. Surgery marks: SCARS.
58. Norway's capital: OSLO.
59. __ seeds: smoothie choice: CHIA. Although they are
edible seeds, they also make good pets.
60. Assign to a role: CAST.
61. Small bills: ONES.
65. __ tai: cocktail: MAI. It's a cocktail made of rum,
Curçaco, orgeat syrup and lime juice. Here's one origin story.
