Sailing, Sailing Over the Ocean Blue. Today we are traveling over the vast waters in various vessels, some more comfortable than others. Let's see how we're traveling.
20-Across. Comic strip that's been running since 1918: GASOLINE ALLEY. Galley. Probably not the most comfortable way to travel.
25-Across. Significant other: LIFE PARTNER. Liner. Ocean liners can be comfortable, unless you're on the Titanic.
44-Across. "Delta Dawn" country singer: TANYA TUCKER. Tanker. Not designed for tourists since it's designed to carry or store bulk liquids or gases.
And the unifier:
49-Across. Vessel transporting standard-sized cargo units, and a description of each set of circled letters: CONTAINER SHIP. Each of the theme clues begins and ends with a type of ship with the other letters of the answer "contained" within the Ship. In 2021, the huge container ship, the Ever Given, got stuck in the Suez Canal.
And some other boat references
64-Across. Sailboat pole: MAST.
Across:
1. Persian Gulf nation: IRAN. I just read The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali. It's a fabulous novel about Iran and its political situation from the 1950s to present day.
5. Tree with fronds: PALM.
Anatomy of a Palm Tree
9. Made a lot?: PAVED. Think of a Parking Lot.
14. Special attention: CARE.
15. Track on an opera CD: ARIA. My favorite Aria from Carmen.
16. Pithy saying: ADAGE.
17. "I __ you'd say that": KNEW.
18. Prestigious British boarding school: ETON. Eddie Redmayne and Prince William were classmates at Eton.
19. Steps on a ladder: RUNGS.
23. Burrowing animal: MOLE. They are ugly little critters.
24. Obtained: GOT.
30. Winter bug: FLU.
33. Corrosive chemicals: ACIDS.
34. Appear in print: RUN.
35. Open-handed hit: SLAP.
36. Quite small: MINI.
37. Fuji or Vesuvius: MOUNT. Both Mount Fuji and Mount Vesuvius are volcanic mountains. At 12,388 feet, Mt. Fuji is Japan's tallest peak. Mt Vesuvius is in Italy and is best known for destroying the ancient city of Pompeii about 79 CE. Mt. Vesuvius last erupted in 1944.
Woodblock print of Mt. Fuji
Mt. Vesuvius and ruins of Pompeii
39. Territory, so to speak: TURF.
40. "A Wrinkle in Time" actor Michael: PEÑA. Michael Peña portrayed a character known as Red in the 2018 version of A Wrinkle in Time. The movie is a science fantasy adventure based on Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 novel of the same name. I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time back when I was in grade school.
41. Hunting bird active at night: OWL.
42. Drum at a poetry slam: BONGO. Everything you wanted to known about a Poetry Slam but didn't care to ask.
43. Fourth-yr. students: SRs. As Seniors.
47. __ rummy: GIN. Everything you wanted to know about Gin Rummy. Well, maybe not everything.
48. Poster fastener: TACK.
55. Any of the Transformers: ROBOT.
56. Zoo trench: MOAT.
57. Strong smell: ODOR.
59. "Demon Slayer" genre: ANIME. Okay.
60. Emmy-nominated "Insecure" star Rae: ISSA. Issa Rae was the co-writer of the television comedy-drama series Insecure.
Issa Rae is the woman in the middle.
61. Toy with a BrickHeadz line: LEGO. BrickHeadz weren't available when I was playing with Legos.
62. Electricity usage tracker: METER.
63. Adolescent: TEEN.
Down:
1. "That's nasty!": ICK!
2. Telephoned: RANG.
3. Polygon calculation: AREA.
4. Providers of "breaking" coverage: NEWS MEDIA.
5. Saffron-flavored Spanish dish: PAELLA. Yummers! Paella is one of the best known dishes in Spanish cuisine. There is a restaurant in town that makes wonderful Paella, but it takes a long time to make, so you need to call in your order before you arrive at the restaurant.
