Theme: B and B - Besides the obvious 53 Across, there are three other grid-spanning B and B's, plus the easy to miss but dead center, 35 Across.
17A. Consequences of a minor accident, perhaps : BUMPS AND BRUISES
22A. "The Greatest Show on Earth" promoters : BARNUM AND BAILEY
35A. Before long : BY AND BY
46A. Product improvement slogan : BIGGER AND BETTER
53A. Cozy inn whose abbreviation is a hint to this puzzle's theme : BED AND BREAKFAST
And the fill BBs (31. Air gun ammo) has to be intentional. FYI, total 14B's in the puzzle.
Argyle here.
Four grid spanners. Total 67 theme squares. Heavy themage. Good job, Jeff.
The theme gimmick is similar to Jeff's last C.C. puzzle where the initialism of the last theme entry is the hint to the other theme answers, but with an extra central answer this time.
Across:
1. Green gem : JADE
5. Runs easily : TROTS
10. Ruler marking : INCH
14. High spot : APEX
15. Baton-passing event : RELAY
16. Delhi dress : SARI
20. Less than 90 degrees, anglewise : ACUTE. If greater than 90 degrees but less than 180, the angle is obtuse.
21. Baseball card data : STATS
27. Totally dreadful : ABYSMAL. One B.
28. Place for cookies : JAR
29. Like EEE shoes : WIDE
30. Skin: Suff. : DERM. As in dermatology, the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases. Update: I gave a prefix, Kazie reminded me it called for a suffix. Same meaning but different word; à la pachyderm, someone (or something) with thick skin. It is used for animals such as an elephant or a hippopotamus
34. '50s political monogram : DDE. Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th President.
38. Span of history : ERA
39. "So's __ old man!" : YER
40. "¿Cómo __ usted?" : ESTÁ. It means "how are you" singular formal. I await confirmation.
41. Horse's stride : GAIT
42. Adjust to the desired wake-up time, as an alarm : SET
43. Gently slips past : EASES BY. One B. Regrettable duplication of BY with 35A BY.
51. Be __ model: exemplify grace in success : A ROLE
52. Hideous sorts : OGRES
59. Grandson of Adam : ENOS
60. Celtic priest of old : DRUID
61. Basis of an invention : IDEA
62. Tennis do-overs : LETS
63. 1,000 kilograms : TONNE. Metric ton, 2204.6 pounds.
64. Word with ghost or boom : TOWN
Down:
1. Sharp punch : JAB. One B.
2. "The Simpsons" storekeeper : APU. We will never see his full name, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
3. FDR or JFK, politically : DEM. Democrats, both.
4. Wide-open space : EXPANSE
5. Emotional shock : TRAUMA
6. Hertz auto, e.g. : RENTAL
7. Of days gone by : OLDEN
8. Bar bill : TAB. One B, but double B alliteration.
9. Damascus' land: Abbr. : SYR. Damascus is the capital of Syria.
10. "Lord, __?": Last Supper question : "IS IT I?"
11. __ decongestant : NASAL
12. Greek island where Minos ruled : CRETE. Minos was the mythical king of Crete. The island is not mythical.
13. __ fit: tantrum : HISSY
18. Pond gunk : SCUM
19. G.I.'s group : US ARMY
22. Off-color : BAWDY. One B.
23. Tolerate : ABIDE. One B.
24. Winona of "Edward Scissorhands" : RYDER. Her straps are twisted. I would volunteer to straighten them for her.
25. Spun CDs at a party : DJ'ED
26. Caustic remark : BARB. Two B's
30. Crime lab evidence, briefly : DNA
31. Beauty's beloved : BEAST. One B, but triple B alliteration.
32. Payola, e.g. : BRIBE. Two B's
33. Mythical man-goat : SATYR
35. Get noticed : BE SEEN. One B.
36. River of Flanders : YSER
37. Lead-in to girl or boy : ATTA. Tried "It's a" first
41. Tones one's body : GETS FIT
43. Enter stealthily : EDGE IN
44. Use emery on : ABRADE. One B.
45. Hide's partner : SEEK
46. Genesis tower locale : BABEL. Two B's.
47. Dancer Castle : IRENE. She was the wife half of Vernon and Irene Castle, a team of ballroom dancers of the early 20th century.
48. No-show in a Beckett play : GODOT. Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for someone named Godot.
49. Half-full or half-empty item : GLASS
50. Smudge-proof, like mascara : NO RUN
54. Banned bug spray : DDT
55. Certain sib : BRO. One B.
56. Commotion : ADO
57. Use a Singer : SEW
58. Beachgoer's shade : TAN. Tricky clue.
Answer grid.
Argyle
17A. Consequences of a minor accident, perhaps : BUMPS AND BRUISES
22A. "The Greatest Show on Earth" promoters : BARNUM AND BAILEY
35A. Before long : BY AND BY
46A. Product improvement slogan : BIGGER AND BETTER
53A. Cozy inn whose abbreviation is a hint to this puzzle's theme : BED AND BREAKFAST
And the fill BBs (31. Air gun ammo) has to be intentional. FYI, total 14B's in the puzzle.
Argyle here.
Four grid spanners. Total 67 theme squares. Heavy themage. Good job, Jeff.
The theme gimmick is similar to Jeff's last C.C. puzzle where the initialism of the last theme entry is the hint to the other theme answers, but with an extra central answer this time.
Across:
1. Green gem : JADE
5. Runs easily : TROTS
10. Ruler marking : INCH
14. High spot : APEX
15. Baton-passing event : RELAY
16. Delhi dress : SARI
20. Less than 90 degrees, anglewise : ACUTE. If greater than 90 degrees but less than 180, the angle is obtuse.
21. Baseball card data : STATS
27. Totally dreadful : ABYSMAL. One B.
28. Place for cookies : JAR
29. Like EEE shoes : WIDE
30. Skin: Suff. : DERM. As in dermatology, the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases. Update: I gave a prefix, Kazie reminded me it called for a suffix. Same meaning but different word; à la pachyderm, someone (or something) with thick skin. It is used for animals such as an elephant or a hippopotamus
34. '50s political monogram : DDE. Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th President.
38. Span of history : ERA
39. "So's __ old man!" : YER
40. "¿Cómo __ usted?" : ESTÁ. It means "how are you" singular formal. I await confirmation.
41. Horse's stride : GAIT
42. Adjust to the desired wake-up time, as an alarm : SET
43. Gently slips past : EASES BY. One B. Regrettable duplication of BY with 35A BY.
51. Be __ model: exemplify grace in success : A ROLE
52. Hideous sorts : OGRES
59. Grandson of Adam : ENOS
60. Celtic priest of old : DRUID
61. Basis of an invention : IDEA
62. Tennis do-overs : LETS
63. 1,000 kilograms : TONNE. Metric ton, 2204.6 pounds.
64. Word with ghost or boom : TOWN
Down:
1. Sharp punch : JAB. One B.
2. "The Simpsons" storekeeper : APU. We will never see his full name, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
3. FDR or JFK, politically : DEM. Democrats, both.
4. Wide-open space : EXPANSE
5. Emotional shock : TRAUMA
6. Hertz auto, e.g. : RENTAL
7. Of days gone by : OLDEN
8. Bar bill : TAB. One B, but double B alliteration.
9. Damascus' land: Abbr. : SYR. Damascus is the capital of Syria.
10. "Lord, __?": Last Supper question : "IS IT I?"
11. __ decongestant : NASAL
12. Greek island where Minos ruled : CRETE. Minos was the mythical king of Crete. The island is not mythical.
13. __ fit: tantrum : HISSY
18. Pond gunk : SCUM
19. G.I.'s group : US ARMY
22. Off-color : BAWDY. One B.
23. Tolerate : ABIDE. One B.
24. Winona of "Edward Scissorhands" : RYDER. Her straps are twisted. I would volunteer to straighten them for her.
25. Spun CDs at a party : DJ'ED
26. Caustic remark : BARB. Two B's
30. Crime lab evidence, briefly : DNA
31. Beauty's beloved : BEAST. One B, but triple B alliteration.
32. Payola, e.g. : BRIBE. Two B's
33. Mythical man-goat : SATYR
35. Get noticed : BE SEEN. One B.
36. River of Flanders : YSER
37. Lead-in to girl or boy : ATTA. Tried "It's a" first
41. Tones one's body : GETS FIT
43. Enter stealthily : EDGE IN
44. Use emery on : ABRADE. One B.
45. Hide's partner : SEEK
46. Genesis tower locale : BABEL. Two B's.
47. Dancer Castle : IRENE. She was the wife half of Vernon and Irene Castle, a team of ballroom dancers of the early 20th century.
48. No-show in a Beckett play : GODOT. Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for someone named Godot.
49. Half-full or half-empty item : GLASS
50. Smudge-proof, like mascara : NO RUN
54. Banned bug spray : DDT
55. Certain sib : BRO. One B.
56. Commotion : ADO
57. Use a Singer : SEW
58. Beachgoer's shade : TAN. Tricky clue.
Answer grid.
Argyle
