Monday July 17, 2023 Lynn Lempel

 

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Today's grid delivers 4 themers plus a reveal. Let's take a closer look:

16 Across. Bed that may have a canopy: FOUR POSTER.  

22 Across. Prize announcement that often involves ping pong balls: LOTTO DRAWING.  

37 Across. Many a writing exercise in a fiction class: CHARACTER SKETCH.

How to Write One

49 Across. Spotted pattern appropriate for a catsuit: LEOPARD PRINT. 

He's quite the catch.

60 Across. Bizarre, and what the ends of 16-, 22-, 37-, and 49-Across are when redecorating: OFF THE WALL.  Def.: (adj.) highly unusual; strange or very different, often intentionally.  

It is also the slogan for Vans shoes. OFF THE WALL was a term coined when skateboarders in the mid '70s were landing new tricks in empty pools by literally skating OFF THE WALL.

I see the connection between POSTER, DRAWING, SKETCH, and PRINT. However, for me, it is less clear how OFF THE WALL connects. It does make me think of my teenage bedroom. I had so many posters on my walls (e.g., Rocky, Devo, Let's Boogie, the 'Hang in There' cat, Yosemite's Half Dome) that I ran out of space. I had to resort to tacking posters on my ceiling. Perhaps Lynn is reminding us of when the POSTERs/DRAWINGs/SKETCHes/PRINTs of our youth eventually came OFF THE WALL to make room for a more sophisticated décor. Everyone has to grow up sometime....

Let's see what else the Queen of Mondays prepared for us today.

Across:

1. Goes halfsies with, say: SHARES.  cute clue

7. Chat at length: GAB.

10. Yield to gravity: SAG. Congratulations if you have no idea what this means!

13. Sneak attack: AMBUSH.  The gray cat shows how it is done:  

14. Pollution-fighting org.: EPA.  "Organization" is abbreviated, so is "Environmental Protection Agency".

15. "Aladdin" parrot named for a Shakespeare villain: IAGO.  Sparknotes calls IAGO (from Othello) "possibly the most heinous villain of Shakespeare."

18. Grouchy one: CRAB.  

19. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA.  Muy bien, gracias.

20. Tattle (on): RAT.  

21. News outlets: MEDIA.  "MEDIA" is a collective noun so it can be singular or plural.

26. Soup cooker: POT.  

29. U-turn from NNW: SSE.

30. Sioux City citizen: IOWAN.  Sioux City was founded in 1854. Its elevation is 1,201 ft (366 m.) and its population in 2021 was 85,617. Some famous Sioux City citizens are Fred Grandy (Gopher on The Love Boat), Jerry Mathers (Beaver on Leave it to Beaver), and the advice columnist twins Ann Landers & Abigail Van Buren, neither of whom has a rodent moniker.

31. Soil: EARTH.  and  58 Down. Clump of dirt: CLOD.

33. Pea sheller's discard: POD.

34. Celestial Seasonings products: TEAS.  Anyone who has taken the Celestial Seasonings factory tour in Boulder, CO will remember going into the Mint Room!  

41. Japanese wrestling: SUMO.  To win a match, the wrestler must push his opponent out of the 15 ft. diameter (4.54 m.) ring or make him fall down to the ground. This usually only takes a few seconds but there is a lot of lead-up. You can read more here.

These athletes are much more limber than one might think.
It looks like the wrestler on the left will fall down to the ground first.

42. Bounce: HOP.

43. Put pen to paper: WRITE.  

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss sing Please Read the Letter (1998).

44. Sat for a photo: POSED.  How to Pose: 7 Easy Adjustments for More Flattering Photos

48. Govt. intel group: NSA.  "Government" is abbreviated, so is "National Security Agency".

53. Bowler's hangout: ALLEY.  Um, actually.....

54. West Coast sch. with the most Rose Bowl wins: USC. The University of Southern California Trojans have the most appearances (34) in the Tournament of Roses Football Game, giving them an advantage on the record for most wins (25). more stats

55. Oil cartel acronym: OPEC.  Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

59. Commotion: STIR.  

63. Family lads: SONS.  I wish they still did TV show opening credits like this one for My Three Sons (1960 - 1972).

64. File that might be e-signed: PDF.  Portable Document Format  

65. "Still ... ": EVEN SO.  

66. Dollar bill: ONE.  As in, "I threw a couple of ONEs into the tip jar."

67. Endeavor: TRY.  Also, a British TV detective drama (2012 - 2023). Set in Oxford from 1965 - 1971, it is a prequel to the Inspector Morse series (1987 - 2000). Endeavor does a good job of recreating the fashion, settings, and cultural zeitgeist of the times.

Shaun Evans and Roger Allam star as
young Inspector Morse and Fred Thursday, respectively.

68. Like most pretzels and chips: SALTED.  I had SALTy --> SAvory --> SALTED

Down:

1. Spot for valuables: SAFE.  Jeff Sitar won the Lockmaster's International SAFEcracking Competition eight times! You can meet him in this 2:17 min. video:  

2. Managed care gps.: HMOS.  "Groups" is abbreviated and plural, so is "Health Maintenance OrganizationS". This webpage explains the difference between an HMO and a PPO.

3. Lie alongside: ABUT.

4. Like a farming community: RURAL.  Speaking of TV shows with fun opening credits, how about this show featuring RURAL life?  

Green Acres (1965 - 1971)

5. Clairvoyant's claim: ESP.  A clairvoyant is someone who claims to have a supernatural ability often called ExtraSensory Perception.  

6. Summer attire: SHORTS.

7. Reach: GET TO.

8. Nonhuman primate: APE.

9. Soap unit: BAR.

10. Packed can of fish: SARDINE TIN. Yes, there have been many 3-letter fills today. I suppose that is the price one pays to fit in this pleasing fill, along with its symmetrical partner at 28 Down.  

This is a mesmerizing video of Pacific SARDINEs, sea turtles, and tuna in a one million gallon tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a building which was once a SARDINE factory on Cannery Row. The last cannery closed in 1973.

Note:  I recommend muting the sound to eliminate audio distractions.

11. From the top: AGAIN.  This clue made me think of my musician grandfather's favorite TV show.

With a-one and a-two....

12. Portable evacuation kit: GO BAG.  Here is a list of things to pack in your GO BAG.

15. Cold zero-calorie drink: ICE WATER. This was another amusing clue, along with its symmetrical partner at 32 Down.

17. Fill to the max: SATE.

21. Cavernous opening: MAW.  Def: (noun) the receptible into which food is taken by swallowing; the throat, gullet, or jaws especially of a voracious animal; something suggesting of a gaping maw.

23. Org. that collects workplace injury data: OSHA.  "Organization" is abbreviated, so is "Occupational Safety and Health Administration".

24. Designer Christian: DIOR.  

This ensemble is from Christian DIOR's Fall 2023 Ready-to-Wear collection.

25. Fishing poles: RODS.

26. Muscles above abs: PECS.  

27. Waikiki's island: O'AHU.

28. Acrobat's springboard: TRAMPOLINE.  TRAMPOLINE is an Olympic event.  

32. Highway officers: TROOPERS. Not all States use this term. In some States, these officers are called State Police, Highway Patrol, or State Patrol.

33. Vitality: PEP.

35. Plays a part: ACTS.

36. __ butter: moisturizer in L'Occitane products: SHEA.

38. One-named "Believe" singer: CHER.  Believe is the title track from her 22nd studio album, which was released in 1998.

39. Chuck of "Meet the Press": TODD.  Last month he announced he will be leaving the show to spend more time with his family.

40. "Crazy Rich Asians" novelist Kevin: KWAN.  Kevin KWAN is a Singapore-born American author.  

45. Give voice to: SAY.  With only 3 letters, there were not a lot of options.

46. Formerly, quaintly: ERST.

47. Wealth: RICHES.  Kevin KWAN's literary realm

49. Coach Ted played by Jason Sudeikis: LASSO.  Annon-T recommends this show. I want to watch it but first I need to get HULU.

50. "Tiny Dancer" singer John: ELTON.  This one always tricks me. I first think, "John ___."

51. Somewhat swollen: PUFFY.  

puffer jackets

52. Low-tech hair dryer: TOWEL.  I liked this clue -- possibly because it appealed to my dry sense of humor.

ba-dum-TSSH

56. Gasp for breath: PANT.  and  57 Down. Otherwise: ELSE.

60. Elect (to): OPT.

61. WPA creator: FDR.  "Works Progress Administration" is abbreviated, so is the name of the president who enacted it, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I recently visited a WPA art exhibit. I was previously unaware of this program from the 1930s.

62. "Searching for Mexico" host Longoria: EVA.  This is a travel & food TV show which first aired on March 26, 2023.

Here is the grid. You may or may not choose to PRINT it out and POST it on your WALL.

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your thoughts!