Wednesday, May 8, 2024, Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi

SOUP & SANDWICH

 Our dynamic duo ( see 46D. ) of crossword collaborators Rebecca and Rachel has teamed up once again.  In today's theme they redefine MESS HALL as "MESS-Y" HALL; four phrases involving service items - one flatware, one glassware, two dinnerware - described as being dirty or in disarray. the word "mess" derives from the Frawnche 'mes' for "dish".  A 16 x 15 grid, allowing for two 8-letter, two 11-letter and one 12-letter spanner, plus lots of black squares, but I don't have the "deets" on what is the maximum allowed.  A handful of names, but nothing too pesky.  The theme answers:

16. Region of severe drought in the 1930s: DUST BOWL - the history

24. Diner, e.g.: GREASY SPOON - My personal favorite - Waffle House

Sadly, there is no WAFFLE HOUSE in CT

36. Rochester, New York, dish with meat, fries, and baked beans: GARBAGE PLATE - I spent a lot of my time in NY, but I had never heard of this dish before; I was going to add a picture, but it does not look appetizing at all

49. Hazard for bare feet in a beach parking lot: BROKEN GLASS - Also the title of a song; I used to hear it once a day during my retail employment tenure; I did not know it was Annie Lennox of "Eurythmics" fame who sings this

59. Army dining area, or a punny description of where to find 16-, 24-, 36-, and 49-Across: MESS HALL - perhaps the most notorious movie MESS HALL. . . .

It did get "messy"

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Day on Mars: SOL - I do the DOWNS first, but had no crossings, so this one eluded me; a "DAY" on Mars is one planetary rotation; in this case, it's just over 37mins more than Earth's

4. Crunched numbers: DATA

8. Shockingly vivid: LURID - I could find many an image, but this forum won't allow it~!

13. Clean water org.: EPA

14. Inner selves: EGOS

15. Wretchedness: MISERY

18. Structures that provide shade: GAZEBOS - a long-term goal is to build several decks and a structure down by my creek - perhaps it will be a gazebo

I could actually pull this off - note, another Rochester NY reference

19. At the ready: ALERT

20. Massive: EPIC

22. Craigslist abbr.: OBO - Or Best Offer - anyone care to make an offer on these two~?  My tractor is here, so I don't need these two any more~!

23. Actress Polo: TERI - name #1, filled via perps

28. Head physician, briefly?: ENT - Ear, "50D.", Throat; I was looking for an abbr. for "psychiatrist" e.g., "shrink"

29. Feeds the pigs: SLOPS

30. Light units: WATTS

31. Assume, as a responsibility: TAKE ON

33. Bank vaults: SAFES

39. Question type: YES/NO - my "CANOE" at 32D. led me to try NO/YES first

40. SoFi Stadium pros: L.A. RAMS

42. Actor Hawke: ETHAN - name #2, but I know this one

45. Runs up against?: ABUTS

47. Light touch: PAT

52. Cooked up: MADE - someone MADE a mess in the kitchen

53. Bluff, maybe: BET - eh, sorta - I've played enough poker to know when someone's "BET" is more likely a "BLUFF"

54. Force from power: OUST

55. Gives for a while: LENDS

56. "Doesn't look good for me!": "I'M TOAST"

62. Apt name for someone born on Christmas: NOELLE - name,ish

63. Operatic solo: ARIA

64. Narc's org.: DEA - Drug Enforcement Agency, mentioned in this song....

Smuggler's Blues, Glenn Frey - and it gets MESSY in this kitchen, too~!

65. Class: GRADE - as in K thru 12

66. Subsequently: NEXT

67. Mule kin: ASS - and ABUTS in the same puzzle~?


DOWN:

1. Hardly rowdy: SEDATE

2. Richly appointed: OPULENT

3. Activity that involves taking a shot in the dark?: LASER TAG - my brother and I had the "home version" as kids

4. Subject of a congressional ceiling: DEBT - check out this site

5. Previously: AGO - meh

6. Pull along: TOW - ah, not TUG

7. Like a limb that's all pins and needles: ASLEEP

8. "30 Rock" role for Tina: LIZ - name #4; I know TINA, did not know "Liz"

9. Employ: USE

10. Start up again: REBOOT

11. Asimov work with "Three Laws": I, ROBOT - Issac Asimov, and a movie starring Will Smith

12. Vacuums that have "dual cyclone" technology: DYSONS - I actually have two, the 'ball' and the cordless - but the latter seems to have lost the ability to retain a charge - time to get a replacement battery, I guess

15. "I Try" singer Gray: MACY - name #5, filled via perps

17. Prefix with -athlon: TRI

18. Beneficiaries of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, for short: GIs - "The GI Bill"

21. Out of style: PASSÉ

24. Gooey lumps: GLOBS

25. Journalist Farrow: RONAN - name #6; filled via perps

26. Pinky promises: SWEARS

27. Carb-loader's pre-race meal: PASTA

29. Like the vibes at a spa: SERENE

32. Style of boat first used by the Aleut, Inuit, and Yupik peoples: KAYAK - I tried 'CANOE', but this is a better answer

34. Overachiever's test score: A-PLUS - a dupe answer from yesterday

Even better than A PLUS

35. Shoes that lack heels: FLATS - I had my fill of shoe fills last week. . . . see below

37. Aspirational hashtag: GOALS - I don't "hashtag", so I had no idea; crossing the unknown theme answer didn't help

38. Savory turnover: EMPANADA

Note the "LIME WEDGES", and NOT the shoes

41. Seats for equestrians: SADDLES - we had a Kentucky Derby pool at work; I picked "Track Phantom" and "Stronghold", and neither came in win, place, OR show. . . .

Blazing SADDLES Pie Fight; another MESSY HALL

42. Receding: EBBING

43. Earthquake: TREMOR - nailed it; we felt the April 5th New Jersey quake in CT; I read there was an additional TREMOR on May 1

44. Sore throat soother: HOT TEA - ah.  LOZENGE did not fit

46. The Caped Crusader: BATMAN - Holy Crossword Clues~!

Still the coolest Batmobile ever, IMO

48. Cars that charge slowly in the cold: TESLAS - got it; I had a plug-in Subaru Crosstrek, and was aware that it would take longer to charge in the winter, as I did not have a garage at the time; it really didn't matter, since I charged it overnight as I slept, and it only took 5hrs anyway

50. Honker: NOSE

51. Word before microbiome: GUT - filled via perps

And After You Have a Garbage Plate~?

52. "It's fine": MEH - Meh.  For me, this qualifies something as less than "fine"

55. DA-to-be's exam: LSAT - crossword staple

57. Long in the tooth: OLD

58. Tap pour: ALE

60. Before, poetically: ERE

61. __-pack abs: SIX - my gym attendance has plummeted; conversely, my weight has risen - go figure; I'm just not a "gym" person

Splynter