Rope Bridges: The Cambridge Dictionary defines a Rope Bridge as: a bridge made of long pieces of rope tied together with knots, and wooden boards for people to walk on". In today's puzzle, the Rope spans and connects each two-word phrase.
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| Me crossing a Rope Bridge in the Peruvian Amazon. |
17-Across. Garage button: DOOR OPENER.
25-Across. Jewelry that hangs just below a lobe: DROP EARRING.
37-Across. Coriander-based sauce: CILANTRO PESTO. I make Basil Pesto.
49-Across. Promotional interest rate, perhaps: ZERO PERCENT.
And the unifier:
59-Across. Rudimentary span suspended over a river, or a span found in 17-, 25-, 37-, and 49-Across: ROPE BRIDGE.
While the video below is not a rope bridge, the bamboo bridge of Kampong Cham in Cambodia spans the Mekong River from the mainland to Koh Pen, an island in the river. We walked across it a couple of years ago. It is probably the most dangerous bridge I have ever crossed. Hubby fell while trying to speed walk and still has the scars on his leg from being cut on the bamboo.
Across:
1. Postinjury support: CRUTCH.
7. Do one's darned best?: SEW. Cute clue.
10. Puts together: ADDS.
14. Like a yes-no question: BINARY. More than you would ever want to know about Binary Responses.
15. "But you can call me ... " letters: AKA. Also Known As.
16. Take in, as crops: REAP.
19. Sandwich spread: MAYO.
20. Jacket wool: TWEED. Everything you wanted to know about Tweed but didn't know to ask.
21. Emoticon eyes, often: COLON.
:-)
22. Ryder Cup org.: PGA. As in the Professional Golfers' Association. Everything you wanted to know about the Ryder Cup but didn't know to ask.
28. Cot settings: BUNKS.
30. Food label letters: RDA. As in the Recommended Daily Allowances.
31. Born: NÉE. Today's French lesson. This word has become a crossword staple.
32. Leave gratified: SATE.
33. Brings down: SADDENS.
41. Take care of: PROTECT.
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| The tiny words at the bottom of the door read: "To Punish and Enslave" |
42. Nothing, in Spanish: NADA. Today's Spanish lesson.
44. Gallery piece: ART.
47. Slice of history: ERA.
48. Tie sometimes worn with an open collar: ASCOT.
54. Find to be mined: ORE.
55. "__ means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten": "Lilo & Stitch": OHANA. Today's Hawaiian language lesson.
56. Like a cheering crowd: AROAR. The dreaded A word.
58. Predetermines the outcome: RIGS.
64. Lake that feeds the Niagara River: ERIE. This reminds me of our old friend Abejo. [Name Adjacent.]
65. Actor's prompt: CUE.
66. Soccer star Messi: LIONEL. Can you believe we made it all the way to clue 66 before encountering a name! Lionel Andrés Messi (b. June 24, 1987) is an Argentine professional soccer player, or as they say in countries outside of the United States, a professional football player. [Name # 1.]
67. Religious offshoot: SECT. Last week the Quakers formed the SECT. (See 64-Across from last week's puzzle.)
68. Broadcast: AIR.
69. State, in Mexico: ESTADO. More of today's Spanish lesson.
Down:
1. Ingredient in some oils, briefly: CBD. As in Cannabidiol, which is the chemical found in marijuana. CBD is legal in many states, including Louisiana.
2. __ Grande: RIO. More of today's Spanish lesson.
3. Mattel card game: UNO.
4. Tangy: TART.
5. Packs together: CROWDS.
6. Link prefix: HYPER.
7. Wall St. "500" index: S AND P. Standard and Poor is more commonly denoted as S&P. The S&P 500 is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 of the largest companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. I hope you didn't try to parse this as SAND P.
8. Barely make (out): EKE.
9. Tug-of-__: WAR.
10. Knight's outer layer: ARMOR.
11. Give a hand?: DEAL IN.
12. Start of a new routine: DAY ONE. School has already started here so many kids have already had their Day One of the new school year.
13. Light cake type: SPONGE. A brief history of the Sponge Cake.
18. Fair-hiring initials: EEO. As in Equal Employment Opportunity.
21. Leggy wader: CRANE. What's the difference between a crane and an egret?
22. "Cosmos" network: PBS. As in Public Broadcasting Service. Cosmos was a television series that aired in 1980-1981 that covered many scientific subjects on the origin of life and our place in the universe. It was written and narrated by Carl Sagan (Nov. 9, 1934 ~ 1996).
23. Nacho dip, briefly: GUAC. As in Guacamole. Yummers!
24. Not supporting: ANTI.
26. One performing CPR, perhaps: ER DOC. As in Emergency Room Doctor.
27. Highly skilled (at): ADEPT.
29. Seaweed superfood: KELP.
33. Saw logs: SNORE.
34. Oil used in some perfume: ATTAR. This makes occasional appearances in the crossword puzzles. Everything you wanted to know about Attar but didn't know to ask.
35. Beats by __: headphones brand: DRE. The Dre in Beats by Dre refers to music producer Dr. Dre (né Andre Romell Young; b. Feb. 18, 1965), who founded the company, Beats Electronics, in 2006. [Name # 2.]
36. IDs on 1040 forms: SSNs. As in Social Security Numbers.
38. Stuffed cornmeal snack: AREPA. I have probably eaten Arepa, but didn't know that was what they were called.
39. Stuffed tortilla snack: TACO. Yummers! More food.
40. Olfactory stimulus: ODOR.
43. Feasted: ATE.
44. Island chain northwest of Morocco: AZORES. I will be traveling to the Azores with my sister next spring. The Azores are a chain of 9.
45. Sign on again: RE-HIRE.
46. Very unfortunate: TRAGIC.
48. Early video game consoles: ATARIS. [Name adjacent.]
50. Commencement: ONSET.
51. Prank: CAPER.
52. Before, poetically: ERE.
53. Having a dignified air: NOBLE.
57. Good-for-a-laugh type: RIOT.
59. Sony Music subsidiary: RCA.
60. French affirmative: OUI. Today's French lesson.
61. Genetic code carrier: DNA.
63. "Mr. Blue Sky" gp.: ELO. As in the Electric Light Orchestra. [Name adjacent]
Here's the grid:
חתולה
