Good morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of today's puzzle which, fittingly, was constructed by not one but two puzzle setters. If you woke up feeling poorly this morning then this puzzle may not have been for you. However, if you woke up fooling peerly then you may have found that the solving went smeethly and agrooably. Let's start with the reveal:
66 Across: Tennis match with teams of men and women, or what 18- and 25-Across and 42- and 55-Across literally have: MIXED DOUBLES.
At two places (for a total of four clues/answers) Caroline and Katie intentionally mix up the double vowels (OO and EE) found in two common "word combinations" and, thereby, create amusing responses to the carefully worded clues. The first pair is at:
18 Across: Plays a trick on Miami's basketball team?: FOOLS THE HEAT and
25 Across: Spring occasion when people get really emotional?: APRIL FEELS DAY
FEELS THE HEAT and APRIL FOOLS DAY have traded double vowels
The second pair is at:
42 Across: Orange rinds of epic proportions?: OLYMPIC SIZE PEELS and
55 Across: Wagers about how many ingredients are in a bottle of shampoo?: CHEMICAL POOLS
OLYMPIC SIZE POOLS and CHEMICAL PEELS have engaged in a bit of vowel swapping.
Here is how this all looks in the grid:
.... and, now that we've participated in the vowels' key party, let's have a look at the rest of the clues and answers:
1. Baldelli who was AL Manager of the Year in 2019: ROCCO. Things start off with a reference to the Minnesota Twins baseball team.
6. Leave the dishes for tomorrow, say: SOAK. Here in the SOAKing Southland this seems, somehow, appropriate:
Box Of Rain (1972)
10. Fistful of dollars: WAD.
Clint Probably Got This Answer Quickly
13. Nook purchases: E-BOOKS. NOOK is Barnes and Noble's electronic reading platform/device.
15. Subject: TOPIC. Current events are a fish's favorite TOPIC of discussion.
17. Spa brand: OPI. Usually clued with a reference to nail polish.
20. Molecular messenger: RNA. A crossword staple.
21. Dump, as stock: SELL.
22. Breakdown helpers: AAA.
23. Monarch: RULER.
30. Cuban dance: MAMBO. O, possibilmente, italiano
33. Comforts: SOLACES.
35. UFC fighting style: MMA. Mixed Martial Arts
38. Prefix with gender: CIS.
"Mongo CIS" Just Does Not Seem Right
39. Some UPenn degs.: MBAS. Many schools offer MBA degrees. The UPenn bit was not very helpful.
46. Hands together time: NOON. Analog, not digital. Not applause.
47. Not awesome: MEH.
48. Big fuss: ADO.
49. Writer Joe Hill, to Stephen King: SON. A man gave his three boys a cattle ranch. He named the ranch Focus because that is where the sun's rays meet.
50. Amends last year's tax return, say: RE-FILES.
53. The Chi-__: R&B quartet: LITES. A pun-ish name.
53. The Chi-__: R&B quartet: LITES. A pun-ish name.
59. Titan, once: OILER. The Tennessee Titans football team started out in 1960 as the Houston Oilers before relocating to Nashville in 1997.
60. Prefix in some genre names: ALT.
61. __ Rios, Jamaica: OCHO.
65. School opening?: PRE. Some solvers might feel that the southwest, with its PRE, SEC and EST stack, was a bit 47 Across.
71. Wall St. regulator: SEC.
72. Cutting: SNIDE. A fairly ambiguous clue.
73. Writes to: EMAILS. Can we read EMAILS on our EBOOKS?
74. D.C. hrs.: EST. Anybody remember Werner Erhard?
75. African antelopes: GNUS.
76. Teaser: PROMO. As in teaser ad.
Down:
1. Bowl game officials: REFS. A football reference.
2. Cor anglais kin: OBOE. Clued many ways but not as many ways as OREO
2. Cor anglais kin: OBOE. Clued many ways but not as many ways as OREO
4. Work together briefly?: COLLAB. A punt (or slang depending on your perspective). COLLABoration "in brief".
5. Allows: OKS.
6. Gets home, in a way: STEALS. Another baseball reference.
7. __ and aah: OOH. What goes OOH OOH? A cow with no lips.
8. Imitate: APE. Used as a verb. See also 36 Down.
9. Telluride maker: KIA. An automotive reference.
10. Advertising exaggeration, perhaps: WORLD'S BEST.
11. CPAP target: APNEA. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure used to treat breathing problems. Philips Respironics recently recalled some of their CPAP machines.
12. Log with a lock: DIARY.
14. Guest __: STAR.
16. Copy shortcut: CTRL C. A computer user's technique.
19. Japanese "yes": HAI.
24. "I can help!": USE ME. We have seen this several times in our puzzles. Has anyone actually heard a person say "USE ME" ?
26. Pageantry: POMP.
27. Areas of interest: FOCI. Plural of FOCUS.
28. "Hamilton" role for Phillipa Soo: ELIZA.
29. Made less harsh: EASED.
30. Eclipse participant: MOON.
31. "Hope" singer Parks: ARLO.
32. City executive-to-be: MAYOR ELECT.
36. Imitate: MIMIC. See also 8 Down.
37. Amtrak choice: ACELA. A train ride often taken in our puzzles.
40. Healing plant: ALOE. A constructor's friend.
41. Bank acct. application digits: SSNS. Another crossword staple.
43. Greek muse of memory: MNEME. Inspiration for:
44. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" poet Silverstein: SHEL.
45. Straw __: POLL. An unofficial vote.
51. Gels: FIRMS. Used, here, as a verb.
52. Some kings and queens: SPADES. A playing card reference.
54. Weather map line: ISOBAR. Where do meteorologists relax after work?
55. Grove: COPSE.
 |
| A small COPSE set among a field of dandelions. |
56. Brings on: HIRES. They could have gone with the root beer.
57. Far from current: OLD.
58. Chiwere speakers: OTOE. OTOE visit us often. All About These Indigenous Friends of Crossword Constructors
62. Advertiser's honor: CLIO. The CLIO awards are named for the Greek goddess CLIO, the mythological muse known as "the proclaimer, glorifier and celebrator of history, great deeds and accomplishments.
63. Big wheel at sea: HELM. Not the idiomatic "big wheel" which might have led to trying to fit ADMIRAL or CAPTAIN into the allotted space. A big steering wheel.
64. __ buco: OSSO. A food reference.
67. Dutch bank: ING.
67. Dutch bank: ING.
68. Mark, as a box: X IN. Punt
69. Part of a prof's address: EDU. The ending for a university's email address. dot EDU
70. Plate official: UMP. Yet another baseball reference.
Y'er Out!
Okay. If you say so.
Everyone have a wonderful Superb Owl weekend.
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Notes from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to dear Splynter, who turns 53 years old today. I'm so happy and grateful that you're back to blog for us again.
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| Baby Splynter and His Parents |
