Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here to chat about Dan Caprera's puzzle. I spotted this gimmick from a mile away, making for an easy-breezy Monday solve. 
Theme: 
We have three well-chosen themed answers that BUILD up to the reveal. Circles are used to emphasize the progression.
18 Across. Common key in big band music: B-FLAT MAJOR.
I reached out to our own music man and Wednesday blogger JazzBumpa for some help with this one. Here is a song he suggested. It's a banger! I cannot stop listening to it!
Race to the Bridge
26 Across. "Stop futzing with that!": LEAVE IT BE.
48 Across. Actress who played Dorothy Zbornak on "The Golden Girls": BEA ARTHUR.
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| (1922 - 2009) |
Then the reveal:
60 Across. "The Stuff You Love" toy company, and what this puzzle's circled letters do: BUILD-A-BEAR.
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| "Stuff you love"...cute! I have never been to one of these stores. Have you? |
Notice that B, BE, BEA, and BEAR can stand alone (as opposed to being a part of a longer word) and that they alternate between the beginnings and ends of the themers. Looking good, Dan!
Let's see what else we can find in today's grid:
Across:
5. Official decree: EDICT.
10. Fiber in some muffins: BRAN. My Abstract Algebra professor, Dr. Clarke, made the best bran muffins! We would pack her office during office hours, snacking on her muffins.
14. Ending with hard or soft: -WARE. computer words
15. Misrepresent: BELIE.
16. Eastern priest: LAMA.
17. Self-images: EGOS. This clue made me think of selfies.
20. Tooth care specialist: DENTIST.
22. Catholic prayer beads: ROSARY.
23. Historic space station: MIR.
24. Not together: APART. and 30 Across. Together: AS ONE. fun pairing!
34. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.
35. Sundae topper: CHERRY.
37. Distant: FAR.
38. Plus: AND.
39. Large body of eau: MER. Eau and mer are French words for water and sea, respectively.
40. Female sib: SIS. "Sibling" is shortened, so is "SISter". I like it when my big bro calls and says, "Hi, SIS!"
41. Dog coat: FUR.
42. "Curses upon thee!": FIE. FIE is an interjection used to express disgust or disapproval.
43. Smaller than small: ATOMIC.
45. Houston MLBer: STRO. CSO to our Houston peeps!
50. Computer hard drive headache: CRASH. Friday's CrowdStrike CRASH -- Oof!
66. Emulate some species of jellyfish: GLOW. Jellies have no bones, brains, teeth, blood, or fins yet they are animals. This 2 min. video shows some bioluminescent species. 67. Sit for a spell: REST.
68. Desert havens: OASES.
69. Part of BPOE: ELKS. The Benevolent and Protective Order of ELKS was founded on February 16, 1868.
Down:
1. Picking one's jaw up off the floor: AWED.
2. Wise one: SAGE.
3. First heavy metal band to have a video air on MTV: IRON MAIDEN. I included some Metallica last week so I will skip the heavy metal video this week.
4. Wearing red and green, perhaps: FESTIVE. I like this clue...and this outfit!
5. Recedes: EBBS. The ocean EBBS and flows. I often go to the beach at low tide to collect sea glass. 
6. Nimble-fingered: DEFT. 
7. Not feeling too hot: ILL. That's chill without the ch. 😜
8. U.S. spy org.: CIA. "United States" is abbreviated, so is the "Central Intelligence Agency".
9. Colorful tropical fish: TETRA.
10. Big explosions: BLASTS.
11. Indian royal: RAJA.
12. Love, in Spanish: AMOR.
13. Quaint negative: NARY. Def.: (adj.) not any; not one.
19. Some eels: MORAYS. Here is a 2:27 min. video entitled, Facts: The Moray Eel. 21. Hot temper: IRE.
24. Actor Vigoda: ABE. (1921-2016)
25. Former name of Iran: PERSIA.
26. Flips (through): LEAFS. As a verb, LEAF means to turn over pages, especially to browse or skim.
27. "Rubber Duckie" Muppet: ERNIE.
28. "Law & Order: SVU" co-star: ICE-T.
29. Pulsates: THROBS.
31. Bonkers: OFF THE WALL. and 45 Down. Unusual: STRANGE. and 58 Down. Helter-skelter: AMOK.
56. Catan or Codenames: GAME. Thank you for the reminder that Catan is a game! We see it in puzzles every once in a while but I struggle to remember its name.
57. Historical spans: ERAS.
59. Trees with pliable wood: YEWS. One of the World's oldest surviving wooden artefacts is a yew spear head estimated to be around 450,000 years old. Uses of YEW
61. "Shaun the Sheep" sound: BAA. Shaun the Sheep is a stop-motion animated TV show from the U.K. It became available on Netfix in 2020. The show appeals to children and adults. Here is a 2:17 min. clip. Notice that they do not talk. That fact adds an extra layer to this fitting clue.
62. Ambulance gp.: EMS. Emergency Medical Services, more commonly known as EMS, is a system that responds to emergencies in need of highly skilled pre-hospital clinicians. EMS.gov
1. "I would never!": AS IF. Here is the line:
Alicia Silverstone in Clueless (1995) (16 sec.)
Clueless is a modern version of Jane Austin's 1815 novel, Emma.
5. Official decree: EDICT.
10. Fiber in some muffins: BRAN. My Abstract Algebra professor, Dr. Clarke, made the best bran muffins! We would pack her office during office hours, snacking on her muffins.
14. Ending with hard or soft: -WARE. computer words
15. Misrepresent: BELIE.
16. Eastern priest: LAMA.
17. Self-images: EGOS. This clue made me think of selfies.
20. Tooth care specialist: DENTIST.
22. Catholic prayer beads: ROSARY.
23. Historic space station: MIR.
24. Not together: APART. and 30 Across. Together: AS ONE. fun pairing!
34. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.
35. Sundae topper: CHERRY.
38. Plus: AND.
39. Large body of eau: MER. Eau and mer are French words for water and sea, respectively.
40. Female sib: SIS. "Sibling" is shortened, so is "SISter". I like it when my big bro calls and says, "Hi, SIS!"
41. Dog coat: FUR.
 |
| There is an Old English Sheepdog under all this FUR. |
42. "Curses upon thee!": FIE. FIE is an interjection used to express disgust or disapproval.
43. Smaller than small: ATOMIC.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
starring Rick Moranis (1:44 min.)
45. Houston MLBer: STRO. CSO to our Houston peeps!
MLB is an abbreviation so Astro is shortened to STRO.
46. Spanish title: SEÑOR.
46. Spanish title: SEÑOR.
50. Computer hard drive headache: CRASH. Friday's CrowdStrike CRASH -- Oof!
52. Mine extraction: ORE.
53. Open, as a banana: UNPEEL. I will call foul on this one. No one says, "Can you please UNPEEL a banana for me?" #wince
56. Weekend trip, e.g.: GETAWAY.
63. Newborn's acquisition: NAME.
53. Open, as a banana: UNPEEL. I will call foul on this one. No one says, "Can you please UNPEEL a banana for me?" #wince
56. Weekend trip, e.g.: GETAWAY.
63. Newborn's acquisition: NAME.
Jim Croce with I Got a Name (1973)
64. Kitchenware brand: EKCO. Learning moment. Ekco Brands is the U.S. division of Vasconia Brands (Mexico's housewares leader in manufacturing and distribution).
65. "__ Mia!": ABBA musical: MAMMA.
Dancing Queen (1986)
Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, and Meryl Streep
66. Emulate some species of jellyfish: GLOW. Jellies have no bones, brains, teeth, blood, or fins yet they are animals. This 2 min. video shows some bioluminescent species. 67. Sit for a spell: REST.
68. Desert havens: OASES.
69. Part of BPOE: ELKS. The Benevolent and Protective Order of ELKS was founded on February 16, 1868.
Down:
1. Picking one's jaw up off the floor: AWED.
2. Wise one: SAGE.
3. First heavy metal band to have a video air on MTV: IRON MAIDEN. I included some Metallica last week so I will skip the heavy metal video this week.
4. Wearing red and green, perhaps: FESTIVE. I like this clue...and this outfit!
7. Not feeling too hot: ILL. That's chill without the ch. 😜
8. U.S. spy org.: CIA. "United States" is abbreviated, so is the "Central Intelligence Agency".
9. Colorful tropical fish: TETRA.
10. Big explosions: BLASTS.
11. Indian royal: RAJA.
12. Love, in Spanish: AMOR.
13. Quaint negative: NARY. Def.: (adj.) not any; not one.
19. Some eels: MORAYS. Here is a 2:27 min. video entitled, Facts: The Moray Eel. 21. Hot temper: IRE.
24. Actor Vigoda: ABE. (1921-2016)
 |
| Here is Fish with Barney (Hal Linden, b. 1931) and Nick (Jack Soo, 1917-1979). BTW, all good XWD names! Interesting trivia: Jack Soo was born Goro Suzuki. His birthplace is listed as "at sea; Pacific Ocean". |
25. Former name of Iran: PERSIA.
26. Flips (through): LEAFS. As a verb, LEAF means to turn over pages, especially to browse or skim.
27. "Rubber Duckie" Muppet: ERNIE.
29. Pulsates: THROBS.
31. Bonkers: OFF THE WALL. and 45 Down. Unusual: STRANGE. and 58 Down. Helter-skelter: AMOK.
A mini-theme developed in the SE.
32. Tiny South Pacific nation: NAURU. In 2022 its population was 12,668 people.
33. Typo, e.g.: ERROR. I got this one rite.
36. Costa __: San José's country: RICA. San José was one of the first cities with electricity.
32. Tiny South Pacific nation: NAURU. In 2022 its population was 12,668 people.
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
33. Typo, e.g.: ERROR. I got this one rite.
36. Costa __: San José's country: RICA. San José was one of the first cities with electricity.
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| I took this PIC of a piece of the Berlin Wall displayed in one of San José's central parks. |
39. Damaged: MARRED.
44. Just okay: MEH.
47. Spotted wildcat: OCELOT. OCELOT Fact Sheet
49. Biodegrade: ROT. Both are verbs. We are more accustomed to the adjective biodegradable.
51. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.
53. Airport transport, for some: UBER.
54. Microwave, informally: NUKE.
44. Just okay: MEH.
47. Spotted wildcat: OCELOT. OCELOT Fact Sheet
49. Biodegrade: ROT. Both are verbs. We are more accustomed to the adjective biodegradable.
51. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.
53. Airport transport, for some: UBER.
54. Microwave, informally: NUKE.
55. Photos: PICS.
56. Catan or Codenames: GAME. Thank you for the reminder that Catan is a game! We see it in puzzles every once in a while but I struggle to remember its name.
57. Historical spans: ERAS.
59. Trees with pliable wood: YEWS. One of the World's oldest surviving wooden artefacts is a yew spear head estimated to be around 450,000 years old. Uses of YEW
61. "Shaun the Sheep" sound: BAA. Shaun the Sheep is a stop-motion animated TV show from the U.K. It became available on Netfix in 2020. The show appeals to children and adults. Here is a 2:17 min. clip. Notice that they do not talk. That fact adds an extra layer to this fitting clue.
62. Ambulance gp.: EMS. Emergency Medical Services, more commonly known as EMS, is a system that responds to emergencies in need of highly skilled pre-hospital clinicians. EMS.gov
In conclusion, here is today's grid:
Bonus: I found this one while looking for BEAR memes:
