Some Travelers
The Traveling Wilburys seem to enjoy traveling by train, but the
travelers in constructor
Norman Aaronson's
4 themers appear to be suffering from various forms of
hodophobia
(fear of travel). Here are some of their punny excuses for avoiding it ...
18A. Some travelers won't tour the Corn Palace for fear that ...:
THE WALLS HAVE EARS. The
Corn Palace, commonly advertised as The World's Only Corn Palace and the
Mitchell Corn Palace, is a multi-purpose arena/facility located in
Mitchell, South Dakota, United States. The Corn Palace is a popular
tourist destination, visited by up to 500,000 people each year. A
must see for corny cruciverbalists 😃...
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Corn Palace Mitchell, SD |
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The Eiffel Tower |
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Smilodon Fatalis |
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The London Eye |
Here's the grid ...
Across:
1. See 57-Across: SEED.
5. Hilton heiress: PARIS. Also where the tower in 29A is.
10. African snake: MAMBA. The BLACK MAMBA, one of Africa's most feared and respected snakes, inevitably evokes reactions of fear, respect or awe - often merely by being mentioned. Now that I have, here are some facts (and some myths) to allay your fears.
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Black Mamba |
16. Do more than just apologize: ATONE.
17. __ Sports Bureau: statistics giant: ELIAS. The ELIAS Sports Bureau is a privately-held American sports data company providing historical and current statistical information for the major professional sports leagues operating in the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 1913, Elias is considered a pioneering firm in the field of sports record keeping and has served as the longtime official statistician for Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Football League (NFL).
18. [Theme
clue]
21. Unattached: SINGLE.
22. Promotion cost: AD RATE.
23. First Burmese prime minister: UNU. I have a sneaking suspicion that this particular fill was needed just to cross 19D, 5D, and 24D, and as luck would have it Norman (or Patti) found it with a 9D ...
25. Fort Collins sch.: CSU. Colorado State University (CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. Founded in 1870 as Colorado Agricultural College, it is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.
26. Digital water tester?: TOE.
29. [Theme clue]
34. Mail in a box: SHIP.
36. "No Ordinary Love" singer: SADE The secret to runaway success in the music business is mononymity (no ordinary word 😀). Here's a list of the 100 best mononymous singers -- SADE comes in at #32 ...
37. Gift list addressee: SANTA. If you're not relying on SANTA to deliver them then you have only 17 shopping day's left until Christmas ...
38. Light bulb unit: WATT. There are a lot of light bulbs in the preceding scene. If you take the trouble to count them you can calculate the approximate number of WATTS they consume per hour. The guy across the street from us has so many Christmas lights on his house that he has a generator to power them. They're beautiful, but very noisy.
39. Protect: SHIELD. Don't wait until it's too late! ...
42. Squabble: SPAT. Also the past tense of SPIT.
43. Actor Elba: IDRIS. Two vowels + endings for a past tense, a comparison, and a plural. Gotta love this guy.
45. Eyelid affliction: STYE.
46. Pajama parts: TOPS. BOTTOMS won't fit (unless you have two heads 😁).
47. [Theme clue]
51. "Help!" letters: SOS.
52. Anger: IRE.
53. Liberal arts maj.: SOC. Sociology. The science of friendly people.
54. Pub __: CRAWLS. I went on a PUB CRAWL once with some of my English cousins. I really don't remember much about it.
57. With 1-Across, bun topper: SESAME.
62. [Theme clue]
66. Kitchen cover: APRON.
67. Underway: AFOOT. The word AFOOT first entered our language in Shakespeare's in Henry V and was later popularized by Sherlock Holmes.
68. "Stat!": ASAP. I believe that STAT is medical parlance for IMMEDIATELY!. OTOH ASAP means As Soon As Possible (or when you get a ROUND TOIT 😀).
69. Fringe benefits: PERKS. Free coffee?
70. Obligations: DEBTS.
71. Scrawny: BONY.
Down:
1. College Board exams: SATS. Scholastic Aptitude Tests
2. K thru 12: EL HI. Kindergarten through 12 grade (when you take your SATS).
3. Genesis spot: EDEN. Peter Gabriel left that spot in 1975 to go solo ...
4. Dippy __: original name of Disney's Goofy: DAWG. Goofy first appeared in Mickey's Revue in 1932 as Dippy DAWG, and in Orphan's Benefit in 1934 as Goofy ,,,
5. Lack of color: PALENESS.
6. Scoreboard abbr. for the 2023 NL East champions: ATL.
7. Congressional Gold Medal honoree Parks: ROSA. In December of 2019 The Library of Congress began a special exhibition about ROSA PARKS. The website created to archive this event had a selection of manuscripts of her speeches, revealing that she was more than just a seamstress who "sat down" on a bus to stand up for the rights of African Americans. The LOC exhibited the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor given by the U.S. executive branch, presented to Rosa by President Clinton on September 15, 1996 ...
... and the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Legislative Branch on June 15, 1999, also presented by President Clinton.
13. Snack or salad follower: BAR.
14. Beast of burden: ASS. And when their burdens become too great, they can be BADA**ES.
19. Last year's sr.: ALUM. Or a hydrated sulfate salt of ALUMinum and usually one other metal.
20. Bouquet holder: VASE. Here's a nice bouquet holder from Song Dynasty, China, 11th - early 12th century AD.
24. Locale of Snowbird and Alta: UTAH.
26. Two-bit: TINPOT. Given the current price of TIN Oxide (SnO2), used to opacify white ceramic glazes ($130.76/lb), I wouldn't call POTS glazed with them "Two-bit". 🙄
27. Ready to flow: ON TAP.
28. Les __-Unis: ETATS.
29. Kumquat, for one: CITRUS. Kumquats are a group of small, fruit-bearing trees in the family Rutaceae. The edible fruit closely resembles the orange in color, texture, and anatomy, but is much smaller, being approximately the size of a large olive. The fruit is often eaten whole by humans, and has a taste which is sweet, tart and also somewhat sour.
30. Vision-related: OPTIC.
31. Lyric poet: ODIST. KEATS and BYRON fit but didn't perp.
32. Saw things?: TEETH. 😁
33. Brewery ovens: OASTS. An OAST, oast house or hop kiln is a building designed for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process. In America they are called "Hop houses". They consist of a rectangular one- or two-story building (the "stowage") and one or more kilns in which the hops are spread out to be dried by hot air rising from a wood or charcoal fire below. Without them we would be unable to maintain a steady supply of ALES and IPAS, essential ingredients in many crossword puzzles.
34. Gruyère, e.g.: SWISS.
Gruyère is a hard Swiss cheese
that originated in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud,
Neuchâtel, Jura, and Berne in Switzerland. It is
named after the town of Gruyères in Fribourg. In 2001, Gruyère gained the
appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), which became the appellation d'origine
protégée (AOP) as of 2013. These sound similar to the standards used to
protect European wines, although
apparently when it comes to cheese the U.S. doesn't recognize them.
35. Couldn't say no: HAD TO.
40. Caustic agents: LYES. Not as caustic as some LIES.
41. Money in the bank: DEPOSITS.
44. Locales at Snowbird and Alta: SKI RUNS. A CSO to MalMan
48. Country of 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi: IRAN. Narges Mohammadi (born 21 April 1972) is an Iranian human rights activist and Nobel laureate. She is the vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), headed by her fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi. She has been imprisoned for her crimes and at last report she is being kept in solitary confinement.
49. First-time father: NEW DAD.
50. Tech giant that purchased Gateway: ACER.
54. Diner employee: COOK.
55. Quaker cereal: LIFE.
56. __ appeal: SNOB.
58. Strike underminer: SCAB. The recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have now been settled. There were relatively few SCABS (strike breakers) but the unions did allow a number of exceptions to this designation. But here are 13 celebs and influencers who were called out for scabbing.
59. In addition: ALSO.
60. Nasty: MEAN.
61. Best Play, for one: ESPY. Not a Tony, but a sports play. The 2023 ESPY Awards, the 31st annual ceremony of the ESPY Awards, was held on July 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and broadcast by ABC. For the first time, the ceremony forewent a single host due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
62. Empty space: GAP.
63. Reveal, to a poet: OPE.
64. 2022 Telugu-language film directed by S.S. Rajamouli: RRR. RRR (subtitled onscreen as Roudram Ranam Rudhiram ("Ferocious, War, Blood") is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language epic period action drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, et. al. It revolves around the fictional versions of two Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao), their friendship, and their fight against the British Raj. Rotten Tomatoes rated it a 95% ...
65. Tent bed: COT.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
17. __ Sports Bureau: statistics giant: ELIAS. The ELIAS Sports Bureau is a privately-held American sports data company providing historical and current statistical information for the major professional sports leagues operating in the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 1913, Elias is considered a pioneering firm in the field of sports record keeping and has served as the longtime official statistician for Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Football League (NFL).
21. Unattached: SINGLE.
22. Promotion cost: AD RATE.
23. First Burmese prime minister: UNU. I have a sneaking suspicion that this particular fill was needed just to cross 19D, 5D, and 24D, and as luck would have it Norman (or Patti) found it with a 9D ...
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U Nu |
29. [Theme clue]
34. Mail in a box: SHIP.
36. "No Ordinary Love" singer: SADE The secret to runaway success in the music business is mononymity (no ordinary word 😀). Here's a list of the 100 best mononymous singers -- SADE comes in at #32 ...
37. Gift list addressee: SANTA. If you're not relying on SANTA to deliver them then you have only 17 shopping day's left until Christmas ...
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Christmas Light Nativity Scene |
38. Light bulb unit: WATT. There are a lot of light bulbs in the preceding scene. If you take the trouble to count them you can calculate the approximate number of WATTS they consume per hour. The guy across the street from us has so many Christmas lights on his house that he has a generator to power them. They're beautiful, but very noisy.
39. Protect: SHIELD. Don't wait until it's too late! ...
42. Squabble: SPAT. Also the past tense of SPIT.
43. Actor Elba: IDRIS. Two vowels + endings for a past tense, a comparison, and a plural. Gotta love this guy.
45. Eyelid affliction: STYE.
46. Pajama parts: TOPS. BOTTOMS won't fit (unless you have two heads 😁).
47. [Theme clue]
51. "Help!" letters: SOS.
52. Anger: IRE.
53. Liberal arts maj.: SOC. Sociology. The science of friendly people.
54. Pub __: CRAWLS. I went on a PUB CRAWL once with some of my English cousins. I really don't remember much about it.
57. With 1-Across, bun topper: SESAME.
62. [Theme clue]
66. Kitchen cover: APRON.
67. Underway: AFOOT. The word AFOOT first entered our language in Shakespeare's in Henry V and was later popularized by Sherlock Holmes.
68. "Stat!": ASAP. I believe that STAT is medical parlance for IMMEDIATELY!. OTOH ASAP means As Soon As Possible (or when you get a ROUND TOIT 😀).
69. Fringe benefits: PERKS. Free coffee?
70. Obligations: DEBTS.
71. Scrawny: BONY.
Down:
1. College Board exams: SATS. Scholastic Aptitude Tests
2. K thru 12: EL HI. Kindergarten through 12 grade (when you take your SATS).
3. Genesis spot: EDEN. Peter Gabriel left that spot in 1975 to go solo ...
4. Dippy __: original name of Disney's Goofy: DAWG. Goofy first appeared in Mickey's Revue in 1932 as Dippy DAWG, and in Orphan's Benefit in 1934 as Goofy ,,,
 |
| Goofy |
6. Scoreboard abbr. for the 2023 NL East champions: ATL.
7. Congressional Gold Medal honoree Parks: ROSA. In December of 2019 The Library of Congress began a special exhibition about ROSA PARKS. The website created to archive this event had a selection of manuscripts of her speeches, revealing that she was more than just a seamstress who "sat down" on a bus to stand up for the rights of African Americans. The LOC exhibited the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor given by the U.S. executive branch, presented to Rosa by President Clinton on September 15, 1996 ...
8. Sharp, as a TV broadcast: IN HD. High Definition Video.
9. Google: SEARCH.
10. Informal gatherings: MEET UPS.
11. Not aweather: ALEE. Another adjective created by appending an A to A NOUN.
12. Soccer great Hamm: MIA. We had this clue recently, so I was able to recycle this jpeg ...
 |
| Mia Hamm |
14. Beast of burden: ASS. And when their burdens become too great, they can be BADA**ES.
19. Last year's sr.: ALUM. Or a hydrated sulfate salt of ALUMinum and usually one other metal.
20. Bouquet holder: VASE. Here's a nice bouquet holder from Song Dynasty, China, 11th - early 12th century AD.
 | ||||
| Song Dynasty Vase Freer Gallery Washington, D.C. |
24. Locale of Snowbird and Alta: UTAH.
26. Two-bit: TINPOT. Given the current price of TIN Oxide (SnO2), used to opacify white ceramic glazes ($130.76/lb), I wouldn't call POTS glazed with them "Two-bit". 🙄
27. Ready to flow: ON TAP.
28. Les __-Unis: ETATS.
29. Kumquat, for one: CITRUS. Kumquats are a group of small, fruit-bearing trees in the family Rutaceae. The edible fruit closely resembles the orange in color, texture, and anatomy, but is much smaller, being approximately the size of a large olive. The fruit is often eaten whole by humans, and has a taste which is sweet, tart and also somewhat sour.
|
| Kumquats |
31. Lyric poet: ODIST. KEATS and BYRON fit but didn't perp.
32. Saw things?: TEETH. 😁
33. Brewery ovens: OASTS. An OAST, oast house or hop kiln is a building designed for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process. In America they are called "Hop houses". They consist of a rectangular one- or two-story building (the "stowage") and one or more kilns in which the hops are spread out to be dried by hot air rising from a wood or charcoal fire below. Without them we would be unable to maintain a steady supply of ALES and IPAS, essential ingredients in many crossword puzzles.
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Oast house Frittenden, Kent, UK |
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|
Gruyère Swiss Cheese |
40. Caustic agents: LYES. Not as caustic as some LIES.
41. Money in the bank: DEPOSITS.
44. Locales at Snowbird and Alta: SKI RUNS. A CSO to MalMan
48. Country of 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi: IRAN. Narges Mohammadi (born 21 April 1972) is an Iranian human rights activist and Nobel laureate. She is the vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), headed by her fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi. She has been imprisoned for her crimes and at last report she is being kept in solitary confinement.
 |
| Narges Mohammadi |
50. Tech giant that purchased Gateway: ACER.
54. Diner employee: COOK.
55. Quaker cereal: LIFE.
56. __ appeal: SNOB.
58. Strike underminer: SCAB. The recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have now been settled. There were relatively few SCABS (strike breakers) but the unions did allow a number of exceptions to this designation. But here are 13 celebs and influencers who were called out for scabbing.
59. In addition: ALSO.
60. Nasty: MEAN.
61. Best Play, for one: ESPY. Not a Tony, but a sports play. The 2023 ESPY Awards, the 31st annual ceremony of the ESPY Awards, was held on July 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and broadcast by ABC. For the first time, the ceremony forewent a single host due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
62. Empty space: GAP.
63. Reveal, to a poet: OPE.
64. 2022 Telugu-language film directed by S.S. Rajamouli: RRR. RRR (subtitled onscreen as Roudram Ranam Rudhiram ("Ferocious, War, Blood") is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language epic period action drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, et. al. It revolves around the fictional versions of two Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao), their friendship, and their fight against the British Raj. Rotten Tomatoes rated it a 95% ...
65. Tent bed: COT.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Notes from C.C.:
Happy 78th birthday to Windhover, who met with Lucina on July 24, 2015. Hope all's well with you and Irish, Larry!
