Hello Cornerites!
sumdaze here. Constructor Gary Cee has given us an uplifting puzzle. Here is a link to a 2011 interview with Gary Cee posted by the wonderful C.C. Burnikel.
Today's theme is
Rise & Shine
Let's start with a happy song to put everyone in a good mood.
We have 4 themed clues:
17 Across. Cold War political symbol: IRON CURTAIN.
Winston Churchill's 1946 speech at Westminster College in Fulton, MO is said to have made IRON CURTAIN a household phrase. Alexander Campbell had previously used the phrase metaphorically in his 1945 book, It's Your Empire.
 |
| Countries behind the IRON CURTAIN are shaded red. more info |
23 Across. Project announced as a test of public opinion: TRIAL BALLOON.
This is when a company or politician puts out feelers for how the public might respond to a new product, policy, idea, candidate, etc. We see these often as visual metaphors in political cartoons. The No Politics policy here on the Corner means you will have to Google your own examples.
48. Maryland-based daily paper: BALTIMORE SUN. Hi Waseeley!
This newspaper was founded in 1837 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing.
59. Alabama team: CRIMSON TIDE.
Univ. of Alabama lore credits the team name to a 1907 football game. Birmingham's iron-rich soil turned Alabama's white jerseys red. A sportswriter wrote that the team played like "a CRIMSON TIDE." UA website
The reveal is perfectly centered in the grid:
38 Across. "On your feet!" courtroom command, and a hint to the ends of the answers to 17-, 23-, 48-, and 59-Across: ALL RISE.
CURTAIN, BALLOON, SUN, TIDE. ALL these things RISE. 
Next, I will attempt to RISE to the challenge of explaining the remaining clues.
Across:
1. Golden Globe, e.g.: AWARD.6. Resounding success: SMASH. This word has a lot of different uses -- some positive and some definitely not positive. In the entertainment world, it is used colloquially to mean something very successful. Example: Ke Huy Quan won a Golden Globe AWARD for his performance in the SMASH hit, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
11. Stubborn animal: ASS. An ASS is what we consider a donkey, except that it is wild. Is it really fair to call a wild animal "stubborn" because it does not want to do what you want it to do?
 |
| average lifespan = 27-40 yrs. |
15. Yellow parts of eggs: YOLKS. Imagine if roosters laid eggs. There would be so many new dad YOLKS to crack you up.
16. Like carpaccio: RAW. One of the biggest differences between beef carpaccio and tartare is that carpaccio is made from thinly sliced beef tenderloin while tartare is made from meat that has been minced.
19. __-friendly: green: ECO.
20. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG. Last Monday he was clued with Sense and Sensibility.
21. Aunt Bee's charge, in a classic sitcom: OPIE.
22. Newbie: TYRO. ESP.
16. Like carpaccio: RAW. One of the biggest differences between beef carpaccio and tartare is that carpaccio is made from thinly sliced beef tenderloin while tartare is made from meat that has been minced.
 |
| This tuna CARPACCIO has capers, limes, and red onions. |
20. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG. Last Monday he was clued with Sense and Sensibility.
21. Aunt Bee's charge, in a classic sitcom: OPIE.
OPIE decides to keep Aunt Bee (1:28 min.)
22. Newbie: TYRO. ESP.
From Merriam Webster: The word tyro is hardly a newcomer to Western language. It comes from the Latin tiro, which means "young soldier," "new recruit," or more generally, "novice." The word was sometimes spelled tyro as early as Medieval Latin, and can be spelled tyro or tiro in English (though tyro is the more common American spelling).
27. Harvest-ready: RIPE.
 |
| Nothing beats home-grown tomatoes! |
33. Satisfied paparazzi, maybe: POSED. "Satisfied" is a verb here. Now I get it!
37. Self-mover's rental: VAN.
40. Singer Yoko: ONO.
41. Rank below cpl.: PFC. An Army Corporal is an E-4 paygrade; whereas a Private First Class is an E-3. In case you were wondering, The Colonel is KFC.
42. Tusked hogs: BOARS.
43. Speaker Emerita Pelosi: NANCY.
45. Gift box trimming: RIBBON.
 |
| cat presents |
53. In __ of: LIEU.
54. British peer: EARL. Peerage is the body of peers or titled nobility in Britain. The five ranks of British nobility, in descending order, are duke,
55. Bit of back talk: LIP. #teenagers
58. Rather strange: ODD. ODDs are even strange people find others ODD.
63. Forensic drama franchise: CSI.
64. Physics Nobelist Marie: CURIE. Marie Curie, née Maria Sklodowska, was born in Warsaaw on November 7, 1867. Nobel Prize website
65. Airplane walkway: AISLE. and 67 Down. Airplane assignments: SEATS.
66. Daughter's brother: SON.
 |
| Try not to overthink it. |
 |
| Bonus: You can cook with them, too! (the plants--not the mosquitos) |
Down:
1. Opera highlight: ARIA. Here is a very well-known ARIA:
The Magic Flute – Queen of the Night (3 min.)
Mozart; Diana Damrau, The Royal Opera
2. Threadbare: WORN.3. On tenterhooks: AGOG.
4. "Let's get out of here!": RUN. I cannot verify if this is true, but I saw one website that said "Let's get out of here" is the 2nd most often used stock phrase in movies, after "I love you." This is a 2:35 min. montage of "Let's get out of here" clips. They go fast. See how many movies you recognize.
5. Architectural Digest subject: DECOR.
 |
| May 2023 issue |
 |
| Don't stop at this one! |
8. __ carte menu: À LA. (of a menu or restaurant) listing or serving food that can be ordered as separate items, rather than part of a set meal.
9. Hit the slopes: SKI.
10. QVC alternative: HSN. Both are TV shopping channels.
11. "May I speak now?": ARE YOU DONE. Putting the reveal in the center of the grid enabled Gary Cee to give us four 10-letter, vertical fills. I especially appreciate that work in a Monday puzzle! (See also 12D, 28D, and 29D.)
12. Immune from criticism: SACROSANCT.
(Adj.) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with.
13. Require smelling salts: SWOON.
18. Wire service co.: UPI. United Press International
22. Doting affection, briefly: TLC. Tender Loving Care
23. English breakfast, for one: TEA. At first I fell for the diversion and could not see how one cup of tea could stand in for a full English breakfast. Then I remembered that English Breakfast is a black TEA blend.
13. Require smelling salts: SWOON.
 |
| Lauren Bacall shows us how it's done. |
23. English breakfast, for one: TEA. At first I fell for the diversion and could not see how one cup of tea could stand in for a full English breakfast. Then I remembered that English Breakfast is a black TEA blend.
BTW, my favourite part of an English breakfast is the tomato. DH cooks a tomato for me when he makes his eggs.
Players at 1st, 2nd, & 3rd .... BASIS loaded
Happy birthday, Ray-O-Sunshine!! 🎂
25. Five-spots: ABES. Does anyone call these "Abes"???
26. Carrying freight: LADEN. LADEN was the MW Word of the Day last Wednesday. Does anyone else get their daily emails?
25. Five-spots: ABES. Does anyone call these "Abes"???
26. Carrying freight: LADEN. LADEN was the MW Word of the Day last Wednesday. Does anyone else get their daily emails?
27. Invitation letters: RSVP.
28. "Regrettably, yes": I'M AFRAID SO.
29. Tentatively on the schedule: PENCILED IN.
33. Dallas suburb: PLANO. From the (assumedly non-biased) PLANO Chamber of Commerce:
What started as a small, quiet farming community. Plano has transformed into a city known across the country for our smart people, amazing quality of life, and strong job market. Plano is home to roughly 284,579 residents, several Fortune 1000 companies, and more than 10,000 businesses.
34. Bobby of the Bruins: ORR. A hockey player familiar to XWD solvers.
36. Word with Beach, Beastie, and Backstreet, in band names: BOYS. Good Monday clue!
36. Word with Beach, Beastie, and Backstreet, in band names: BOYS. Good Monday clue!
The Beach BOYS sing Good Vibrations on The Ed Sullivan Show (1968).
composed by Brian Wilson; lyrics by Mike Love; iconic "California sound"
39. Weaver's device: LOOM.
44. Journalist Curry: ANN. Ms. Curry was born 19 Nov. 1956 in Guam. No relation to 64A.
46. AC power unit: BTU. A British thermal unit is a measure of the heat content of fuels or energy sources. It is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of liquid water by 1 degree Fahrenheit at the temperature that water has its greatest density (approximately 39 degrees Fahrenheit).
48. Allied groups: BLOCS.
49. Send payment: REMIT.
50. Simplifies: EASES.
51. "We're full" B'way sign: SRO. "B'way" is short for "Broadway" and "SRO" is short for "Standing Room Only".
52. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR.
 |
| today's anatomy lesson |
55. Invisalign side effect, perhaps: LISP. an alternative to metal braces
56. At a standstill: IDLE.
57. Banana throwaway: PEEL. What happened to the banana who got a sunburn? He PEELed.
57. Banana throwaway: PEEL. What happened to the banana who got a sunburn? He PEELed.
59. Keeps in the email loop: CCS.
60. Regret: RUE.
61. Golden yrs. fund: IRA.
62. Cravat or ascot: TIE.
Here is the grid:
I'll see you next week,
