Hello Cornerites and Happy Memorial Day!
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| On Memorial Day we remember and honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It is a day of both celebration and grief. |
Today's theme: A Cool Water Puzzle!
The Sons of the Pioneers recorded Cool Water in 1941.
(Dan is his burro.)
Constructor Mike Peluso gives us four 2-word phrases, each ending with a word that can also be found in FRONT of the word WATER for a different type of WATER.
The 4 themers are:
18 Across. Blended condiment: GARLIC SALT. SALT WATER
23 Across. Fictional band that uses an umlaut on the "n" in its name: SPINAL TAP. TAP WATER
We recently saw this Christopher Guest mockumentary in last Tuesday's puzzle. The joke is that umlauts over consonants are rare, but the bandmembers are not bright enough to match their own artistic airs. Here is a fun article on the American fad for gratuitous umlauts.
49 Across. Like recently harvested produce: FARM FRESH. FRESH WATER
57 Across. Leavening agent that's also a cleaning product: BAKING SODA. SODA WATER
The unifier is a grid-spanner on row 8:
39 Across. Oscar-winning Marlon Brando film, or where the last words of 18-, 23-, 49-, and 57-Across can literally be found: ON THE WATERFRONT.
"I coulda been a contender".
Rod Steiger and Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront (1954).
The film received 12 Academy Award nominations and won 8, including Best Actor.
If you missed the theme, there is no need to turn on the waterworks. This puzzle has plenty of delightful fill. Let's dive in.
1. Meghan Trainor's "All About That __": BASS.
Stand-up BASS player, Esperanza Spalding has won 5 Grammy Awards.
Here, she performs Overjoyed in 2009.
5. Catholic service: MASS.
9. Tossed: THREW. I hope you did not TITT!
14. West Coast gas brand with ampm convenience stores: ARCO. Not every ARCO has an ampm, but over 1,100 do. You can find them in CA, OR, WA, NV, AZ, OH, IL, GA, and FL.
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| The first ampm location opened in Southern California in 1978. I wonder if that is the station where, one Sunday afternoon, I learned my bank put a hold on my credit card because I was using it while driving from Colorado to California and I had not notified them to expect travel. #LessonsLearned |
15. Fatherly nickname: PAPA.
16. Grocery section: AISLE.
17. Fibber: LIAR.
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| This one is for my fellow math geeks. |
20. Pinochle plays: MELDS. MELDS are combinations of cards that add up to different point values. How to Play Pinochle
22. Snowball pile, say: AMMO.
26. "Rats": DRAT.
22. Snowball pile, say: AMMO.
26. "Rats": DRAT.
30. Portuguese lady: DONA.
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| DONA Maria 1, Queen of Portugal 18th century oil, artist unknown She was the first queen of Portugal, married her uncle, and eventually went mad. a brief history |
31. Honker in a gaggle: GOOSE. We have many new goslings in our area now. DH took this pic last week at the reflecting pool.
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| #SwimmingLesson |
32. Local source of 49-Across produce, for short: CSA. Community Supported Agriculture
It is unusual to see self-referential clues pointing at one of the themed clues.
35. Twin of Romulus: REMUS. The legend of Romulus and REMUS was the inspiration for this (IMHO disturbing) sculpture.
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| This Capitoline Wolf replica is in Rome. |
42. Word before pointer or printer: LASER. I like clues like this one!
43. Letter embellishment, in typography: SERIF.
45. Neighborhoods: AREAS.
46. Airborne mysteries: UFOS.
48. Open-handed hit: SLAP. If you watched How I Met Your Mother, you know about the SLAP bet.
54. Unremarkable: SO SO. Teen slang: mid
55. Trial versions of software, e.g.: DEMOS.
In 1979, Weird Al Yankovic recorded his DEMO of My Bologna in a bathroom across the hall from the Cal Poly radio station because he liked the acoustics...and it was free. It was his first official hit.
This is the teaser trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022).
Yep, that's Daniel Radcliffe from Harry Potter.
63. Locale: SITE.
64. Regional flora and fauna: BIOTA. the animal and plant life of a particular region, habitat, or geological period (rhymes with the root of 38A)
65. Give off: EMIT.
66. Smart __: ALEC. The term came to us from police slang for a criminal who was too smart for his own good, or whose cockiness led to his arrest.
67. Refreshingly cool: CRISP. Anyone else suddenly craving lettuce?
68. Actress Daly: TYNE. IMDb page
69. Result of a sting, maybe: WELT. a ridge or lump raised on the body (as by a blow or allergic reaction)
Down:
1. Salve: BALM. You can make one out of aloe to put on a welt.
2. Zodiac sign also called the Ram: ARIES. birthdates Mar. 21 - Apr. 19
3. Spot for implants: SCALP. Oh, that type of implants!
4. Filthy: SORDID. SOileD also fit...for a while.
5. Car sticker stat: MPG. Miles Per Gallon
6. Roadside aid org.: AAA.
7. Jack who could eat no fat: SPRAT. 
8. "Frida" star Hayek Pinault: SALMA.
10. That dude's: HIS.
64. Regional flora and fauna: BIOTA. the animal and plant life of a particular region, habitat, or geological period (rhymes with the root of 38A)
65. Give off: EMIT.
66. Smart __: ALEC. The term came to us from police slang for a criminal who was too smart for his own good, or whose cockiness led to his arrest.
67. Refreshingly cool: CRISP. Anyone else suddenly craving lettuce?
68. Actress Daly: TYNE. IMDb page
69. Result of a sting, maybe: WELT. a ridge or lump raised on the body (as by a blow or allergic reaction)
Down:
1. Salve: BALM. You can make one out of aloe to put on a welt.
2. Zodiac sign also called the Ram: ARIES. birthdates Mar. 21 - Apr. 19
3. Spot for implants: SCALP. Oh, that type of implants!
4. Filthy: SORDID. SOileD also fit...for a while.
5. Car sticker stat: MPG. Miles Per Gallon
6. Roadside aid org.: AAA.
Frida (2002) Official Trailer
9. Food truck snack: TACO.10. That dude's: HIS.
11. Cape Town's country: Abbr.: RSA.
12. Right-angled bracket shape: ELL.
13. Damp: WET. an Easter egg???
19. Little pest: IMP.
21. Noisy sleepers: SNORERS.
24. Once again: ANEW.
25. Tibetan spiritual leaders: LAMAS.
26. Cuckoo clock part: DOOR. Also, I learned from Good Job, Brain! that a book written in 1930 by American writer Mary Roberts Reinhart called The DOOR is generally credited with introducing the trope, “The butler did it.”
27. Windmill part: ROTOR.
28. Yoga pose: ASANA. Poses are but one of the 8 Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.
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| L-Bracket |
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| someone who is not enjoying the bathWATER |
21. Noisy sleepers: SNORERS.
24. Once again: ANEW.
25. Tibetan spiritual leaders: LAMAS.
26. Cuckoo clock part: DOOR. Also, I learned from Good Job, Brain! that a book written in 1930 by American writer Mary Roberts Reinhart called The DOOR is generally credited with introducing the trope, “The butler did it.”
27. Windmill part: ROTOR.
28. Yoga pose: ASANA. Poses are but one of the 8 Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.
29. Short-tempered: TESTY. Perhaps practicing yoga will help.
31. Kathie Lee of morning talk: GIFFORD.
32. Some soft drinks: COLAS.
33. Entangle: SNARL. to cause to become knotted and intertwined; to make excessively complicated
31. Kathie Lee of morning talk: GIFFORD.
32. Some soft drinks: COLAS.
33. Entangle: SNARL. to cause to become knotted and intertwined; to make excessively complicated
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| I took this photo in Ayutthaya, Thailand. The head of a stone Buddha has become embraced by a SNARL of a bodhi tree's roots. |
34. On a cruise: AT SEA.
36. Sport-__: off-road vehicle: UTE. UTility vehicle
37. Skin rejuvenator: SERUM. If the bottle is small, you know it must be worth the high price.
40. Messy mound: HEAP.
for example, Wes Montgomery's Road Song (1968)
47. Two-person playground fixture: SEE-SAW. The name might have come to us from the French ci-ça, meaning literally, this-that; seemingly attributable to the back-and-forth motion for which a see-saw is known.
49. Weather condition common around the Golden Gate Bridge: FOG.
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| San Francisco averages 108 foggy days per year. (I would have guessed more.) Look for your city here. |
50. Profit-and-loss figure: ASSET. Hmmm... ASSETs generally go on the Balance Sheet but you might find small ASSETs on a P&L Statement.
51. Spacious: ROOMY.
52. Grin: SMILE. OK 😀
53. Suite spot: HOTEL. fun clue!
54. Round closer on an infant's onesie: SNAP.
56. Offshoot group: SECT.
57. "Doctor Who" TV network: BBC. In looking for a pattern to the clueing of British shows and 3-letter fills, my guess is that if it says "airer", we go with PBS; but if it says "network", we go with BBC.
58. Beach ball filler: AIR.
59. Colorful carp: KOI. Because they swim against the current and overcome great obstacles, KOI, in Japanese culture, symbolize strength, courage, and success through perseverance.
51. Spacious: ROOMY.
52. Grin: SMILE. OK 😀
53. Suite spot: HOTEL. fun clue!
54. Round closer on an infant's onesie: SNAP.
56. Offshoot group: SECT.
57. "Doctor Who" TV network: BBC. In looking for a pattern to the clueing of British shows and 3-letter fills, my guess is that if it says "airer", we go with PBS; but if it says "network", we go with BBC.
58. Beach ball filler: AIR.
59. Colorful carp: KOI. Because they swim against the current and overcome great obstacles, KOI, in Japanese culture, symbolize strength, courage, and success through perseverance.
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| KOI flags are flown to celebrate Children's Day. |
61. Clamor: DIN.
62. Downed: ATE. as in, "He downed 4 hot dogs, 2 pretzels, and a beer."
Here is today's grid:
