Happy 11th of July! With words like POP, BLOW, BURST, and GO OFF, this puzzle would have been appropriate for the 4th of July.
16-Across. Stop by briefly: POP IN TO SAY HELLO.
23-Across. Make a rude noise: BLOW A RASPBERRY.
41-Across. Be extremely self-satisfied: BURST WITH PRIDE.
56-Across. Digress from the main topic: GO OFF ON A TANGENT.
Across:
1. Cardi B genre: RAP. [Name # 1.] // I liked how 1-Across crossed with 1-Down. Thoroughly engrossed: RAPT.
 |
| Cardi B (née Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus; b. Oct. 11, 1992) |
4. Sneaky ploys: RUSES.
9. Fashion-forward: CHIC.
13. Boxing family name: ALI. We often see Laila Ali (née Laila Amaria Ali; b. Dec. 30, 1977), who is the daughter of Muhammad Ali (né Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016), in the puzzles. [Name # 2.]
14. Permit: ALLOW.
15. Transaction in a barter economy: TRADE.
19. YA fiction, e.g., familiarly: TEEN LIT. YA = Young Adult.
20. Chews out: BERATES.
21. First name of actors Holland and Hollander: TOM. Tom Holland (né Thomas Stanley Holland; b. June 1, 1996) and Tom Hollander (né Thomas Anthony Hollander; b. Aug. 25, 1967) are both English actors. They are not household names, at least not in my house. Together, they become Tom Hollandest. [Name # 3.]
22. Auction unit: LOT.
31. Positive result at the gym: GAIN.
32. Item on a to-do list: TASK.
33. "I figured it out!": AHA!
34. "The Favourite" queen: ANNE. The movie The Favourite was about Anne, Queen of Great Britain (Feb. 6, 1665 ~ Aug. 1714). She ruled as Queen from 1702 until her death 9 years later. She began her rule as Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland. In May 1707, the Acts of Union united the kingdoms of England and Scotland as a single sovereign state that became known as Great Britain. [Name # 4.]
35. Belgian surrealist painter James: ENSOR. James Ensor (né James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor; Apr. 13, 1860 ~ Nov. 19, 1949) is known for expressionism and surrealism. He is not as well known as some of the other painters of his genre. A lot of his work is a bit morbid. [Name # 5.]
37. Freight barge: SCOW. This has become a crossword staple.
38. Way to go: Abbr.: RTE. As in Route.
39. Lydic of "The Daily Show": DESI. Desi Lydic was a correspondent on The Daily Show. [Name # 6.]
40. Big name in canvas shoes: KEDS. [Name adjacent.]
46. Precursor to overtime: TIE.
47. Yellowfin tuna: AHI. Yummers!
48. Shops at Goodwill, perhaps: THRIFTS.
52. Lose control, in a way: SPIN OUT.
58. Much-admired celebrities: IDOLS. // And 11-Down. Go nowhere with the engine on: IDLE. Can an Idol be Idle?
59. Italian herbal liqueur whose name means "bitter": AMARO.
60. Assent from a bride or groom: I DO.
61. Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of __": FATE.
62. Huffs and puffs: PANTS.
63. Sever, with "off": LOP.
Down:
2. After-sun gel ingredient: ALOE. A crossword staple for both clue and image ...
3. Speak (up) or quiet (down): PIPE.
4. Got close to empty: RAN LOW.
5. Disc-tossing team sport: ULTIMATE. I have a friend whose husband is big on Ultimate (formerly known as Ultimate Frisbee). He travels all over the country for competitions.
6. Schedule opening: SLOT.
7. Lip balm brand in spherical containers: EOS. Short for Evolution of Smooth.
8. Clear the deck?: SWAB. Cute clue.
9. Be inventive: CREATE.
10. Sentry's shout: HALT.
12. Leaders at the top of most corp. hierarchies: CEOs. As in Chief Executive Officers.
15. Beat strongly: THROB.
17. Recite in a singsong voice: IN TONE.
18. Cry of pain: YELP.
23. __ knots: intricate Black hairstyle: BANTU. I was not aware of the name of this hairstyle.
24. Sharply hit baseball: LINER.
25. Magician/skeptic The Amazing __: RANDI. The Amazing Randi was the alter-ego of Canadian-born (né Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; Aug. 7, 1929 ~ Oct. 20, 2020). He was known for challenging paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. [Name # 7.]
26. Informant, in spy lingo: ASSET.
27. Teensy bit: SKOSH. The word Skosh is derived from the Japanese word Sukoshi which means “a little”.
28. Played Mario Kart, perhaps: RACED.
29. __ Island Red: RHODE. The Rhode Island Red is the State bird of Rhode Island. The eggs of the Rhode Island Red are brown.
30. Swerves at sea: YAWS.
31. Attire: GARB.
36. Tear to shreds: RIP A PART.
37. Enjoying Aspen, perhaps: SKIING.
42. Suppress: STIFLE.
43. Squabbles: TIFFS.
44. "Who are __ judge?": WE TO.
45. Safari herbivores: RHINOS.
48. "Bring on the weekend!" letters: TGIF. Thank Goodness It's Friday. Also the name of a restaurant chain.
49. Kotb of "Today": HODA. Hoda Kotb (née Hoda Catherine Kotb; b. Aug. 9, 1964) appeared in a recent Tuesday puzzle. [Name # 8.]
50. Part of a hair or a tooth: ROOT.
51. Lose control, in a way: SNAP.
52. "South Park" kid in a blue-and-red hat: STAN. Did you know his last name is Marsh? [Name # 9.]
53. Trompe l'__: eye-fooling art: OEIL. Today's French lesson. For more examples, check out this site.
54. Ctrl-Z, on a PC: UNDO.
55. Sporty car option: T-TOP.
57. Reddit Q&A: AMA. Ask Me Anything.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
Notes from C.C.:
Happy birthday to CanadianEh!,
who's been with our blog since 2012. Always enjoy your informative and observant posts, Eh!
