Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here along with He-man to bring you a TGIF recap. Today, the ayes (I's) definitely have it with a straightforward theme from veteran puzzle-setter Pam Klawitter. This puzzle "continues" the egocentric "I Me Mine" drift of the puzzle reviewed by this blogger two weeks ago. Who knows what the future may hold. I can't wait to find out.
At the following four places within the grid, Pam has added (dropped in) the letter I within common words/phrases to create amusing answers to the given clues:
16 Across: Member of the swim-up bar staff?: TREADING WAITER. Treading Water.
21 Across: Exercise class that's all about one's ego?: VANITY PILATES. Vanity Plates.
34 Across: Elements needed to start NFL games?: THE PROS AND COINS. The Pros And Cons. A professional football reference.
The Pre-game Coin Toss
Call It In The Air
48 Across: Tricks for producing excellent Tweetstorms?: TIRADE SECRETS. Trade Secrets.
The reveal comes at:
54 Across: "Not staying long," and an apt title for this puzzle?: I JUST DROPPED IN.
Here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. Pizza chain in many food courts: SBARRO. The chain specializes in what is called "N.Y. style" pizza.
7. Mark Cuban's NBA team: DALLAS.
13. Blue state: SADNESS. Misdirection. Not a political red state/blue state reference.
15. Fútbol chant: OLE OLE.
18. La Scala showpiece: ARIA. Tunes frequently heard in crossword puzzles.
19. Take a little off the top: TRIM.
28. Big name in nail polish: OPI. This had to be something like the twentieth time I have seen this one in a puzzle....and I finally remembered the product's name.
29. Phishing fig.: SSN. Social Security Number
30. Interior designer Berkus: NATE. Unknown to this solver. Thanks, perps.
31. Marriages: UNIONS.
40. Most massive: HUGEST. An odd-looking word is it not?
41. Barrel band: HOOP.
42. Many a "9-1-1" character: EMT. Emergency Medical Technicians are not strangers to crosswords.
45. Make a typo, say: ERR.
46. Not fair: CLOUDY. Not an ethics reference, a meteorological reference. With a nod to Paul and Art:
52. One with elitist tastes: SNOB.
53. Gray __: AREA. Neither MATTER nor WHALE were going to fit.
62. "Come From the Heart" country singer Kathy: MATTEA.
63. Without any oomph: WEARILY.
64. Came next: ENSUED.
65. Office binder: STAPLE. Not a three-ring binder. Something to use to bind papers together.
Down:
1. Retired jet: SST. SuperSonic Transport
2. Granola __: BAR. A raisin, a peanut, and an oat sit down to order a drink. The bartender says, "What do you think this is, a granola bar?"
3. Juice aisle suffix: ADE.
5. Hill-building stinger: RED ANT.
6. Egyptian god of the underworld: OSIRIS.
7. __ Jones: DOW. The stock market is fluctuating wildly. We haven't seen so much bouncing up and down since Clinton was in the White House.
8. Menu phrase: ALA. In the style of.
9. Island chain: LEI. A bit of wordplay. A "chain" of flowers often associated with the Hawaiian Islands.
10. Buncha: LOTTA. Punt.
11. National Weather Service postings: ALERTS.
12. Binger's target: SERIES.
14. Cranky mood: SNIT.
17. Part of LGBTQ+: GAY.
20. Web portal with a butterfly logo: MSN.
22. First Hebrew letter: ALEPH.
23. Gesture while giving directions, maybe: POINT.
24. Shuffle gadget: IPOD. Before we kept our tunes on those devices that we call "phones" some of us used these:
Omar is on the right
26. Explosive letters: TNT.
27. "Phooey!": BAH. The sheep says Baa.
31. Tech support callers: USERS.
32. "Panini" rapper Lil __ X: NAS. A frequent visitor.
33. Not __: barely acceptable: SO HOT.
35. Had regrets: RUED.
36. Nasty sort: OGRE. Shrek might beg to differ.
37. "We'll square up later" markers: I O U S. Phonetically, I Owe You. In Philly, I Owe Youse.
38. Wordless agreement: NOD. Apparently, most people lean slightly forward when they NOD their head. I am inclined to agree.
39. Seeker of intel: SPY.
42. UFO mechanics, presumably: ETS. Extra TerrestrialS.
43. Verne Troyer's "Austin Powers" role: MINI-ME.
44. __ horse: TROJAN. As a UCLA Bruin and Cal Bear, I might take umbrage . . . but both my father and my son graduated from USC.
46. Brunch choice: CREPES. Two weeks ago we were served OMELETTES.
47. Seize, as an opportunity: LEAP AT.
50. Canal setting: EAR. Neither Suez nor Panama would fit the allotted space.
51. Jackdaw kin: CROW.
55. Disco __ of "The Simpsons": STU.
57. Cam or Mitch, on "Modern Family": DAD. A TV reference.
58. Celebrated time span: ERA. Often clued along the lines of Equal Rights Amendment or Earned Run Average.
59. Short swim: DIP. When people take a dip in the ocean how do they say "Hi" to each other? They wave.
60. Under the weather: ILL.
61. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE. Another frequent visitor.
And now, having just dropped in for a quick visit . . . .
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