Today's constructor Billy Ouska's last visit to the Corner was on January 22, 2024 blogged by sumdaze. Today he's here to fill us in on that ever popular topic, the vicissitudes of FATE (today's Latin lesson) ...
O Fortuna!
Lyrics
(which didn't work out too well for Prometheus!)
And just like one hit wonder Carl Orff's secular cantata Carmina Burana, Billy's puzzle is all about ...
60. Reversal in luck, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues: CHANGE OF FORTUNE. I'm sure that some in our community will be delighted that Billy doesn't circle around his fill, but gets right to the point (which I've decided to do today 😀) ...
17. *Critical juncture: POINT OF NO RETURN. In Prometheus' case it was after he had defied the gods and had given FIRE to humanity ...
27. *Record: CAPTURE ON FILM. No one was around to capture his defiance on film, but Orff later captured it in music.
46. *Online discussion site: INTERNET FORUM. Ours will begin immediately after (*the trailer to) this review.
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Surge of adrenaline: RUSH. If you really want to get your hormones up, try a little of Rush's Fly By Night (and a CSO to Tony for all of his help when I was away) ...
Click CC for lyrics
5. Regent's order: EDICT.
10. Mil. branch with wings: USAF. The United States Air Force. See also 22A.
14. Tactical political research, for short: OPPO. Prepare yourself for a blitz of it this year.
15. Birthplace of pesto: GENOA. Also the birthplace of GENOA salami ...
16. Issue at the ATM: NOTE.
17. [Theme clue]
20. [New paragraph]: ENTER.
21. "Handling that now!": I'M ON IT. This review.
22. Take to the sky: SOAR. Fly like an eagle ...
25. Friend __ friend: OF A. Is the enemy of my enemy my friend?
26. Midnight to midnight: DAY. 1440 is the number of minutes in a DAY; the approximate year that the printing press was invented; and a daily news site: here's what they have to say today.
27. [Theme clue]
32. Not just some: ALL.
33. Kitchen scale button: TARE. A TARE button zeros the scale to compensate for the weight of any containers used to weigh ingredients in. When weighing ceramic glaze ingredients I use a triple-beam balance with a sliding TARE weight on a separate beam to compensate for container weights.
34. Frangipani garlands: LEIS.
36. Water taxi: BOAT.
38. Longtime "One Life to Live" actress Renée __ Goldsberry: ELISE. In addition to starring as Evangeline Williamson in One Life to Live, Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) also created the role Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
40. Red sign above a door: EXIT.
42. Mantis quintet: EYES. Six astonishing facts about the Praying Mantis.
44. Literary magazine contributor, perhaps: POET. As this is the 400th Anniversary of the printing of Shakespeare's First Folio I think one of his sonnets would be appropriate.
45. Status update fig.: ETA.
46. [Theme clue]
50. Fellow: MAN.
52. Tres menos dos: UNO.
53. As appropriate: DULY. I guess appropriately is close enough ...
54. Garden container?: EDGING.
56. Isaac of "Dune": OSCAR. Here's a father son talk between Duke Leto Atreides (Isaac) and his son Paul (Timothée Chalamet). Dune Part 2 will be upon us soon. I wonder if OSCAR will get an Oscar?
60. [Theme reveal]
65. Show up: COME.
66. Record company: LABEL.
67. God who took a bow: EROS. His darts can be painful and sometimes even fatal.
68. Half of all blackjacks: ACES.
69. Did half of a biathlon: SKIED.
70. "Seasons of Love" musical: RENT. Here it is ...
Down:
1. Tire swing line: ROPE.
2. Right after: UPON.
3. Doner kebab rod: SPIT. Doner kebab is a dish of Turkish origin made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cooking element. The operator uses a knife to slice thin shavings from the outer layer of the meat as it cooks. The vertical rotisserie was invented in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, I guess it saves counter space in small kitchens ...
4. "No fooling!": HONEST.
5. Boosting target: EGO.
6. Dict. entry: DEF.
7. Airbnb alternative: INN.
8. Soft murmur: COO.
9. Trade hindrance: TARIFF. A TARIFF is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods.
10. Biblical preposition: UNTO.
11. Audio engineer's equipment: SOUND MIXER. A SOUND MIXER, AKA a SOUND BOARD takes multiple input signals—such as microphones, instruments, iPods, DJ turntables, etc.—and merges them together so they can be sent to speakers as one signal.
12. Heart duo: ATRIA. The atrium (plural ATRIA) is one of the two upper chambers in the heart that receives blood from the circulatory system. The blood in the atria is pumped into the heart ventricles through the atrioventricular mitral and tricuspid heart valves.
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13. Rihanna's fashion brand: FENTY. Fenty Beauty is a cosmetics brand by Rihanna, that was launched on September 8, 2017. Popular for its broad inclusivity across various skin tones, its Pro Filt'R
foundation became high-demand upon first release. The original
foundation launch included 40 shades, and has since expanded to 50. The
inclusion of Fenty Beauty concealer includes 50 shades, offering a wide
variety for all skin types.
18. Slangy britches: TROU. "Cut offs"?
19. "Inbox zero" killer: EMAIL. Inbox Zero is a rigorous approach to email management that aims to keep an inbox empty -- or almost empty -- at all times. Digital OCD?
23. Collezione della galleria: ARTE. Today's Italian lesson. No English or French ART allowed.
24. Expert: REAL PRO.
25. Top rank in a tournament: ONE SEED.
27. __ franc: CAB. Cabernet Franc is a grape varietal blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to make Bordeaux wines.
28. Plant with lace and soap varieties: ALOE. Soothe your aches and take a bath at the same time.
29. Qualifying contest, perhaps: PLAY-IN GAME. A play-in game is a game, usually played at the beginning of a tournament or just prior to the tournament depending on how the tournament is defined. In a play-in, the lowest qualifiers and/or participants who have earned conditional qualification compete for qualification to the main portion of the tournament.
30. Star-studded hunter: ORION.
31. Name sewn onto some jeans pockets: LEE.
35. In __: unmoved: SITU. In SITU (Latin) is a phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position." It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" depending on a wide variety of contexts. My father, who was a carpenter, used to build cabinets, counters, and benches "in situ" (not his term for it) -- nowadays they're brought in prefabbed and then installed. In fact today whole houses are prefabbed, trucked in, and assembled on site -- or even 3D printed! ...
37. Number of Canadian provinces: TEN. A CSO to CanadianEh! IIRC she lives in Ontario.
39. Caesar's rebuke: ET TU. I think this is a myth. Can you imagine Crossword puzzles using Roman numerals? 😁
41. Edinburgh topper: TAM. This one's for you Lucina!
43. Wounded by a jellyfish: STUNG.
47. Marx collaborator: ENGELS. Friedrich Engels (8 November 1820 – 5 August 1895) was a German philosopher, political theorist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He was also a businessman and Karl Marx's closest friend and collaborator. It turns out that Engels continued to work in his Father's cotton business throughout his life and used a lot of his money to support Marx -- but then they do say that "the ends justify the means".
48. __ de Mayo: Christmas orchid: FLOR. There are several "Christmas Orchids", but Billy apparently wanted this one, Cattleya trianae
49. Raw bar offering: OYSTER. My favorite bivalve. Chesapeake Bay sushi!
50. Muslim holy site: MECCA. Mecca is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia and the holiest city in Islam. Mecca is revered in Islam as the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Visiting Mecca for the Ḥajj at least once is an obligation upon all able Muslims.
51. __ committee: AD HOC. Latin: "for this". An AD HOC committee is formed for a specific purpose and upon completion of its mission is disbanded.
55. Spanish model Sastre: INES. Inés Sastre Morató (born 21 November 1973) is a Spanish model and actress. She studied at The Sorbonne in Paris, and in addition to Spanish, she speaks French, English and Italian fluently. In 1996, Sastre succeeded Isabella Rossellini as Lancôme's spokes model for its perfume, Trésor.
57. Medical research objective: CURE.
58. Quote book abbr.: ANON.
59. Have a nap: REST.
61. Tree on the Connecticut quarter: OAK. The story of the Charter Oak.
62. CBS crime drama: FBI.
63. Service charge: FEE.
64. Played out: OLD. This review is almost played out.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
*Bonus trailer: This is a short romantic comedy called Crossword (13 minutes). We are certain you will love it!
10. Mil. branch with wings: USAF. The United States Air Force. See also 22A.
14. Tactical political research, for short: OPPO. Prepare yourself for a blitz of it this year.
15. Birthplace of pesto: GENOA. Also the birthplace of GENOA salami ...
16. Issue at the ATM: NOTE.
17. [Theme clue]
20. [New paragraph]: ENTER.
21. "Handling that now!": I'M ON IT. This review.
22. Take to the sky: SOAR. Fly like an eagle ...
25. Friend __ friend: OF A. Is the enemy of my enemy my friend?
26. Midnight to midnight: DAY. 1440 is the number of minutes in a DAY; the approximate year that the printing press was invented; and a daily news site: here's what they have to say today.
27. [Theme clue]
32. Not just some: ALL.
33. Kitchen scale button: TARE. A TARE button zeros the scale to compensate for the weight of any containers used to weigh ingredients in. When weighing ceramic glaze ingredients I use a triple-beam balance with a sliding TARE weight on a separate beam to compensate for container weights.
 |
| Aloha! |
38. Longtime "One Life to Live" actress Renée __ Goldsberry: ELISE. In addition to starring as Evangeline Williamson in One Life to Live, Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) also created the role Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
 |
| Renée Elise Goldsberry |
42. Mantis quintet: EYES. Six astonishing facts about the Praying Mantis.
 |
| Praying Mantis The three additional eyes are tiny and are in the center behind its tentacles |
44. Literary magazine contributor, perhaps: POET. As this is the 400th Anniversary of the printing of Shakespeare's First Folio I think one of his sonnets would be appropriate.
45. Status update fig.: ETA.
46. [Theme clue]
50. Fellow: MAN.
52. Tres menos dos: UNO.
53. As appropriate: DULY. I guess appropriately is close enough ...
56. Isaac of "Dune": OSCAR. Here's a father son talk between Duke Leto Atreides (Isaac) and his son Paul (Timothée Chalamet). Dune Part 2 will be upon us soon. I wonder if OSCAR will get an Oscar?
60. [Theme reveal]
65. Show up: COME.
66. Record company: LABEL.
67. God who took a bow: EROS. His darts can be painful and sometimes even fatal.
68. Half of all blackjacks: ACES.
69. Did half of a biathlon: SKIED.
70. "Seasons of Love" musical: RENT. Here it is ...
Down:
1. Tire swing line: ROPE.
2. Right after: UPON.
3. Doner kebab rod: SPIT. Doner kebab is a dish of Turkish origin made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cooking element. The operator uses a knife to slice thin shavings from the outer layer of the meat as it cooks. The vertical rotisserie was invented in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, I guess it saves counter space in small kitchens ...
 |
| Doner Kebab meat cooking on a vertical rotisserie |
5. Boosting target: EGO.
6. Dict. entry: DEF.
7. Airbnb alternative: INN.
8. Soft murmur: COO.
9. Trade hindrance: TARIFF. A TARIFF is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods.
10. Biblical preposition: UNTO.
11. Audio engineer's equipment: SOUND MIXER. A SOUND MIXER, AKA a SOUND BOARD takes multiple input signals—such as microphones, instruments, iPods, DJ turntables, etc.—and merges them together so they can be sent to speakers as one signal.
 |
| Sound Mixer |
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18. Slangy britches: TROU. "Cut offs"?
19. "Inbox zero" killer: EMAIL. Inbox Zero is a rigorous approach to email management that aims to keep an inbox empty -- or almost empty -- at all times. Digital OCD?
23. Collezione della galleria: ARTE. Today's Italian lesson. No English or French ART allowed.
24. Expert: REAL PRO.
25. Top rank in a tournament: ONE SEED.
27. __ franc: CAB. Cabernet Franc is a grape varietal blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to make Bordeaux wines.
28. Plant with lace and soap varieties: ALOE. Soothe your aches and take a bath at the same time.
29. Qualifying contest, perhaps: PLAY-IN GAME. A play-in game is a game, usually played at the beginning of a tournament or just prior to the tournament depending on how the tournament is defined. In a play-in, the lowest qualifiers and/or participants who have earned conditional qualification compete for qualification to the main portion of the tournament.
30. Star-studded hunter: ORION.
31. Name sewn onto some jeans pockets: LEE.
35. In __: unmoved: SITU. In SITU (Latin) is a phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position." It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" depending on a wide variety of contexts. My father, who was a carpenter, used to build cabinets, counters, and benches "in situ" (not his term for it) -- nowadays they're brought in prefabbed and then installed. In fact today whole houses are prefabbed, trucked in, and assembled on site -- or even 3D printed! ...
 |
| Ugh! |
39. Caesar's rebuke: ET TU. I think this is a myth. Can you imagine Crossword puzzles using Roman numerals? 😁
41. Edinburgh topper: TAM. This one's for you Lucina!
 |
| Scottish Tam |
47. Marx collaborator: ENGELS. Friedrich Engels (8 November 1820 – 5 August 1895) was a German philosopher, political theorist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He was also a businessman and Karl Marx's closest friend and collaborator. It turns out that Engels continued to work in his Father's cotton business throughout his life and used a lot of his money to support Marx -- but then they do say that "the ends justify the means".
 |
| Friedrich Engels |
 |
| Flor de Mayo |
50. Muslim holy site: MECCA. Mecca is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia and the holiest city in Islam. Mecca is revered in Islam as the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Visiting Mecca for the Ḥajj at least once is an obligation upon all able Muslims.
 |
| The Kaaba during the Hajj |
55. Spanish model Sastre: INES. Inés Sastre Morató (born 21 November 1973) is a Spanish model and actress. She studied at The Sorbonne in Paris, and in addition to Spanish, she speaks French, English and Italian fluently. In 1996, Sastre succeeded Isabella Rossellini as Lancôme's spokes model for its perfume, Trésor.
 |
| Ines Sastre |
58. Quote book abbr.: ANON.
59. Have a nap: REST.
61. Tree on the Connecticut quarter: OAK. The story of the Charter Oak.
 |
| 25 cents |
63. Service charge: FEE.
64. Played out: OLD. This review is almost played out.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
