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May 25, 2024

Saturday, May 25, 2024, Zhouqin Burnikel

 Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel 






C.C.'s 380th puzzle is rife with wit, learning and her trademark devious cluing along with two 11-letter stacks! Of all her pictures, this is one of my very favorites! It was taken on 8/16/10 soon after she had become a citizen. Our old friend Spitzboov got her the flag from the Navy.

Across:

1. Signs of recognition: NODS - Around here, this usually accompanies that NOD


5. Goddess symbolized by the peacock: HERA.


9. Folks who are totes inseparable: BFFS - Totes and BFF in the same clue/fill? How hip!

13. Ropeless climbs: FREE SOLOS.


15. Horn blast: BLARE.

16. Drift apart: LOSE TOUCH - Our 60th anniversary of high school graduation is this spring but we have LOST many members and LOST TOUCH with most all others and so no one is left to organize anything.

17. Apt name for an optimist: ROSIE.

18. "The Secret Life of Bees" novelist: KIDD.


19. Nonsense: BLATHER - I try not to but the best laid plans of men and mice...

21. Times Square abundance: ADS - For $40 you can get a 15-second video to run in Times Square 


24. Hides: LIES LOW - Mrs. Thomsen, my sophomore English instructor would be aghast if she knew I put LAYS LOW first! ๐Ÿคจ

26. Cards: IDS - Card and IDS as verbs


27. Bug: NETTLE.

29. Inner ear?: CORN COB ๐Ÿ˜€ Ya gotta love that one!

31. Starchy roots: TAROS.

32. Element in some textured paint: SAND.


33. Ortiz of "Love, Victor": ANA - Santa ANA winds or Santa ANA, CA were eschewed for a Saturday puzzle.


34. Perfect spot?: EDEN.

35. Hole number?: YARDS ๐Ÿ˜€

Yikes! 
841 YARDS/Par 6

36. Ferret kin: MINK.


38. "The Marvels" actor Park __-joon: SEO - Two of C.C.'s 11-letter fills helped here.


39. "Allow Me to Retort" writer Mystal: ELIE.


40. Alabama's state nut: PECAN - Your pronunciation: puh KAHN or PEE can?

41. Words of admission: IT WAS ME - Mrs. Thomsen would be aghast yet again seeing ME instead of I after a linking verb! ๐Ÿ˜€


43. Post in a studio: MALONE - New to me but filled itself. "
Danson's Cheer's character" would be better for me. 


44. Club alternative: BLT - Two of my fave sammiches!

45. Inspiring device: SNORKEL ๐Ÿ˜€ Inspiring here means to breathe in! No one wore one better:


47. "Uh-uh": NAW.

48. Jumps aboard: LEAPS ON - Our school system LEAPT ON the "Open Concept Classroom" and LEAPT OFF soon after. 

50. Somewhat: A TAD.

52. Pained cry: UNCLE - My uncles used to delight in making my brother and me cry UNCLE!

53. Sought-after change: RARE COINS ๐Ÿ˜€ I loved this one!


58. "To Kill a Mockingbird" narrator: SCOUT - SCOUT and the first line

              
59. PEBKAC issue: USER ERROR ๐Ÿ˜€


60. Gas company known for its toy trucks: HESS - This 50+ year old model is worth $900

61. Sisters with similar habits: NUNS ๐Ÿ˜€

62. Staff note: MEMO.


Down:

1. Commanders' org.: NFL - To diehards, they'll always be the Redskins


2. Word in Montana's motto: ORO.

Gold and Silver

3. From overseas?: DES - DES is a French word (thus overseas) that is always followed by a plural noun, and can be used as a preposition to mean "of", "from," or "by." 

4. Go after: SEEK.

5. Cozy top: HOODIE.

6. Get by: ELUDE.

7. Skin care brand started in Paris in 1957: ROC - My DW has used their products for years


8. Salon selection: ASH BLONDE ๐Ÿ˜€

9. Dab dry: BLOT.

10. Style guide?: FASHION ICON The 20 greatest of all time. FWIW, Princess Diana is listed as #1.

11. Treat similar to tostones: FRIED BANANA - Tostones are fried plantains.

  

12. Forward thinkers?: SEERS ๐Ÿ˜€

14. Film studio stock: STILLS 

15. Beefiness: BRAWN.

20. Ones with very good manors: LORDS ๐Ÿ˜€

21. Front money: ANTE ๐Ÿ˜€ Ya gotta pay to play

22. Unsettling stillness: DEAD SILENCE - A comedian's worst enemy

23. Food truck fare: STREET TACOS.


25. More alarming: SCARIER.

28. So far: TO NOW

30. Brown hue: CAMEL.

32. Food source for grizzly bears: SALMON RUN.


35. Like some questions: YES NO.

37. Taylor Swift's "I __ You Were Trouble": KNEW.


40. Residence that's fit for a queen: PALACE - QEII having a few people over at Buckingham PALACE


42. Desirable trait: ASSET.

43. Olympic units: METERS - I suspect the Paris Olympics will use METRES ๐Ÿ˜€

44. Red state: BLUSH.

46. Carpenter with pipes: KAREN - Karen's musical career started as a teenage drummer in her brother's group, The Richard Carpenter Trio. He was on keyboards.


49. Positive sign: PLUS.  ๐Ÿ˜€

51. Quarters near a quad: DORM ๐Ÿ˜€ A drone's eye view at UNL


54. Sparky the Sun Devil's sch.: ASU.


55. Red state: IRE ๐Ÿ˜€

56. Adรจle ou Cรฉline: NOM - Adรจle ou Cรฉline sont des noms. (Adele or Celine are names)

57. Cheap tix option: SRO - Standing Room Only tix at Yankee Stadium are $62.50.