Saturday Themeless by Rafael Musa
I could stare at that red cell below until the proverbial cows come home and would never get it, so I'll take one bad cell and, as Taylor Swift would sing, Shake It Off.
1. Florentine political dynasty: MEDICI - The MEDICI family were the main patrons of Galileo and supported much of his work.
7. Posters that are usually ignored: SPAMBOTS.
15. Transfer: IRON ON - Mom IRONED ON a big Superman IRON transfer for 10-yr-old me and it was my favorite shirt for many years.
16. Music genre that originated in 1930s Shanghai: MANDO POP - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A mix of Mandarin and Western music. Origin and an example of it today.
17. Confection: BONBON.
18. Cold look: ICY STARE.
19. Put away: STOW.
20. Bajo opposite: ALTO - I always think of Baj(a) California (lower california) and Palo ALTO (tall stick), CA.
21. Meathead: CLOD.
22. Federal holiday since 2021: JUNETEENTH.
25. Secondary account, informally: FINSTA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You might create a FINSTA (fake instagram account) along with your RINSTA (real instagram account) to share more freely with a small group of friends. It's a way to post silly memes, inside jokes, and unfiltered thoughts without worrying about your public image.
26. Revolutionary outcomes, often: NEW ERAS - Mao's Cultural Revolution brought a NEW ERA to China and he tried hard to eliminate Mandopop and other "Western cultural trash". BTW, Taylor Swift has a huge following in China today.
30. Stick around the TSA line: WAND 😀
31. Meddle: PRY.
33. In profile: SIDE ON - You might have some miles on your tires to recognize this famous profile. (*answer at bottom of write-up). BTW, I don't anyone who knew FINSTA would get this famous profile.
35. Vegan baking ingredient made with ground seeds: CHIA EGG ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Egg substitutes
38. Scrub Daddy competitor: BRILLO.
40. Greeting often followed by "Como vai?": OLA - "How are you?" and "Hello" in Portugese
41. Smith of "House of the Dragon": MATT - I wonder if Rafa even knows the name Gunsmoke's MATT Dillon
40. Greeting often followed by "Como vai?": OLA - "How are you?" and "Hello" in Portugese
41. Smith of "House of the Dragon": MATT - I wonder if Rafa even knows the name Gunsmoke's MATT Dillon
42. Flabbergast: ASTOUND.
44. Tame __: "The Slow Rush" band: IMPALA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but it just kept filling itself in
46. Find peace: FEEL AT EASE.
48. Abbr. in some titles: ASST.
51. Workers' residence: HIVE 😀
52. Crash site org.: NTSB - The National Transportation Safety Board examines a damaged aircraft in Philadelphia
54. Like some hair products: TWO IN ONE.
56. Amused sound: TEE HEE.
58. Thing that's handled badly: MISNOMER - A handle can be called a name for something so a misnomer could be Koala Bear (is a marsupial not a bear), a peanut is a legume (not a nut), lead pencils (they use graphite), etc.
59. Wading birds with powder down: HERONS - Not EGRETS this time
60. Exhaustive analysis?: SMOG TEST.
61. New money?: CRYPTO - 😀 What I know about CRYPTO could be put in here
Down:
1. Sci-fi franchise starring Will Smith: MIB - Men In Black
2. Cherubic deity: EROS.
3. "You'll bring us bad luck!": DONT JINX IT.
4. Like some rush-hour traffic: INBOUND.
5. Shares responsibility, in a way: COOWNS.
6. Stonewall __: INN - The site of a 1969 riot that launched the gay rights movement
5. Shares responsibility, in a way: COOWNS.
6. Stonewall __: INN - The site of a 1969 riot that launched the gay rights movement
7. Katy Perry album with the single "Cry About It Later": SMILE.
8. Old name of a gp. that now has two members: PAC TEN - All the schools left and only lOregon State and Washington State remained
9. Impossible to call: ANYONE'S GAME - Tie score in the ninth inning...
10. Physical performers, for short: MDS 😀
11. Made a mess of: BOTCHED.
12. Gem for a Libra: OPAL - Ruby is the only other 4-letter birthstone
13. Sushi bar cut: TORO.
14. Tore: SPED.
20. Game company that released a 50th anniversary bundle in 2022: ATARI.
23. Classic movie line uttered while pointing out the window: ET PHONE HOME.
24. Bit of kindling: TWIG.
25. The Big E et al.: FAIRS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
27. Old stock market: RESALE SHOP.
28. Left ventricle outlet: AORTA.
29. Foul mood: SNIT.
30. Dream realm?: WNBA.
32. Former Rocket Ming: YAO - His wife is 6' 3" but he is 7' 6"
35. Fingerprint, maybe: CLUE.
36. Select few: ELITE.
39. Hitting up: LOFTING - That'll get them away from the net
43. Tackling groups, for short: D-LINES - a famous one played in Pittsburgh in the 70's
45. Saag __: spinach dish with cheese: PANEER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I'll bet you can get this in Jayawardenepura Kotte
48. PIN-points: ATMS.
49. Make waves, say: SWIM.
50. Shrugworthy: SO SO.
53. Dog-eared, say: BENT - Don't let the librarian catch you 😊
55. "__ cool!": NOT.
56. Compound in some edibles: THC - The hilarious day everyone in Grey's Anatomy ate cookies that were laced wtih marijuana (active ingreint is (Tetra Hydro Cannabinol) (5:58)
*That famous SIDE ON profile is of Alfred Hitchcock and was used at the start of his 60's TV show
Jess Rucks, a crossword constructor, whose puzzles I have blogged many times, contacted me via FaceBook to meet in Lincoln for dinner on Friday night as she was driving from Colorado Springs to her hometown in Minnesota. We met at Lazlo’s Restaurant and had a very pleasant evening. Here is a picture of me and Jess. As you might imagine from the picture, she played D1 volleyball at New Mexico but not so obviously she later served as an Urdu translator for the Air Force. Besides being brilliant, she also has a wonderful sense of humor!
