49. Disney princess with red hair and a green tail: ARIEL.
50. Prefix with center: EPI.
51. Colony members: ANTS.
56. Opposite of exo-: ENDO. Prefix meaning "inner".
57. Spanish rivers: RIOS.
58. Big name in razors: ATRA. Gillette.
59. Pond plant: REED.
60. Shortfin shark: MAKO.
61. More than half: MOST.
Down:
1. City near the Mount of Olives: JERUSALEM. Several regulars on our blog might have stopped here. Hahtoolah, Yellowrocks, Lucina. Anyone else?
2. Steel, e.g.: IRON ALLOY.
3. Italian automaker since 1899: FIAT.
4. Like the yin side: Abbr.: FEM. Feminine. Cucumber is Yin, but ginger is Yang. You eat more Yang food in winter. Yin in summer.
5. Xeroxed: RAN OFF.
6. Exhort: URGE.
7. Flash: SEC.
8. "So there!": HAH.
9. Funhouse fixture: MIRROR.
11. Superman player: REEVE. Christopher.
12. Like some jugs: EARED.
17. Without thinking: IDLY.
18. Shoelace end: AGLET.
19. Caribbean metropolis: HAVANA.
23. Dark time for poets: EEN.
24. Nile threat: CROC. Learning moment for me. Saw it during your trip, Anon-T? This is often a clue for ASP.
25. Eye rudely: OGLE.
27. Office PC nexus: LAN.
28. "Love Train" group, with "The": O'JAYS.
31. O'Hare arrivals: AIRLINERS.
32. Former name of an arid-region Afro-Asian rodent: DESERT RAT.
33. Sleeps soundly?: SNORES. I used to poke Boomer when he snored
too loud. Now his snoring is music to my ears. Neuropathy, shoulder
pain often keeps him awake.
35. Poses: SITS.
36. Furthermore: PLUS.
37. Captain's journal: LOG.
39. Marks in ancient manuscripts: OBELI. Plural of "obelus""
40. Dynamite stuff: TNT.
41. Basis of monotheism: ONE GOD.
42. Westernmost Texas county: EL PASO.
43. "Yeah, right!": AS IF.
44. __-Castell: office supply brand: FABER. Sorry. Never heard of this brand.
45. Ryan of "The Beverly Hillbillies": IRENE.
46. Piña colada garnish?: TILDE. The squiggle over Piña.
Malodorous Manatee, here, wishing a Good Morning to all you cruciverbalists. Today, much like our water-loving friend, above, the constructor, Craig Stowe, seems to have leaned a bit too heavily on the keyboard. As a result, we have characters (letters) that are repetitious, redundant, and repetitive. Or, not. Craig must enjoy repetition because he has had puzzles published in the LA Times in January and February of this year. With this one in March, he now has a 2021 LAT Hat Trick.
LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS, WE GET LOTS AND LOTS OF LETTERS
Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and Patti Page
At three places in the grid, Craig has substituted multiple identical letters for the more common name of an event, a product, and a group of drug sniffing dogs. A clever and well executed, if none-too-subtle, theme.
20 Across. Meeting of powerful nations: GGGGGGG SUMMIT. Seven, count 'em, Gees. The Group of Seven, or G7, SUMMIT meetings are held between the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, The United Kingdom and Japan to discuss international economic and monetary issues. Russia used to be part of what was then called the Group of Eight (with 40 across G8 would have been interesting) but Russia got kicked out after annexing the Crimea.
40 Across. Campbell's concoction: VVVVVVVV JUICE. Eight (an octad) Vees. V8 JUICE is made from vegetables and fruits by Campbell (known mostly for their soup)
.
59 Across. Team at a drug bust: KKKKKKKKK UNIT. Nine Kays. Dogs in the police K-9 (canine as in dog not tooth, although there is a relationship) UNIT are trained to sniff out drugs and other contraband.
Brian Griffin K-9 Cop
. . . . and now, sufficiently invigorated, let us move on to the rest of today's puzzle. We'll leave the completed puzzle for the end of the recap because, today, locating the theme answers requires neither circles nor highlighting.
Across:
1. John follower: ACTS. A reference to the books of the Bible (New Testament).
5. Whack, biblically: SMITE. A nice juxtaposition with 1 Across.
10. Behold, to Cicero: ECCE. "Cicero" is a tip-off that the answer will have something to do with the Roman Empire or the Latin language.
14. Young Adult novel by Carl Hiaasen about an owl habitat: HOOT. Carl Hiaasen writes very humorous books. My favorite was written in collaboration with Dave Barry and eleven other authors who each wrote one chapter of:
15. Wore: HAD ON. What, I hear you asking is a HADON ?
16. Devise, with "up": DRUM. Our first, of many, idioms today, to DRUM up something means to bring about by persistent effort.
17. Blue-green: AQUAMARINE. There are other blue-green colors.
19. Garage occupant: AUTO. A garage is a good place to park an AUTOmobile.
22. One looking at a lot of tickets: USHER. Or, for an answer, a compulsive speeder. Or, for a clue, an entertainer.
USHER
24. Berliner's "Blimey!": ACH. Our German language lesson for today.
25. School contest: BEE. On Monday it would have been clued as Spelling Contest.
26. "It's __ good": ALL. NO didn't have enough letters. NOT was not good. Another idiomatic expression.
27. 2016 US Open champ Wawrinka: STAN. A tennis reference unknown to this author (it could have been golf for all I knew - they both have US Opens). Thanks, perps.
Stan Wawrinka
31. Possessive pronoun: OUR. His? Her? Its?
33. Landlocked Asian country: LAOS. While on a visit to Cambodia, our group of ten intrepid travelers took a day trip to LAOS. At an open air market a vendor was selling some of the local libations. He offered us a sample of this one. Only one member of our party was curious enough, brave enough, and stupid enough to take him up on the offer. Guess who that was.
Yes, Those Are Real Snakes
35. Native Nebraskan: OTOE. One of the North American tribes. OTO, Cree would also have fit the space.
37. Carpenter's tool: RASP. Sometimes clued as "a hoarse voice".
43. Spotted: SEEN. As opposed to Spotted like a leopard, for example
44. Breeze (through): SAIL. Yet another idiom in today's puzzle.
45. Vegas rollers: DICE. Also used in Yahtzee.
47. Ping-Pong table need: NET.
49. Messy one: SLOB.
51. Goat's cry: MAA. Often, BAA.
Goat Sounds
52. Braying beast: ASS. Some constructors are reluctant to include ASS in their puzzles due to a couple of its many connotations. Today's "I will pass on the graphic" moment.
55. Trig. function: COS. COSine. In Trigonometry, the ratio of the side adjacent to an acute angle to the hypotenuse (in a right triangle). It would have been cool if I had remembered that from the tenth grade but I had to look it up.
57. "I can take __!": A HINT. Idiomatic? On the cusp.
64. Green on a weather map: RAIN. The first time I ever saw four-color weather radar was on a small plane taking off from Mobile, Alabama in 1980. On the cockpit display, we could see a violent storm (lots of red) closing in on us in real time. The pilot started the takeoff roll as we were closing the cabin door.
65. Largest portion: LIONS SHARE.
68. Miranda __ of "Homeland": OTTO. A proper noun that was unknown to this mindless marine mammal.
69. "Solutions and Other Problems" writer Brosh: ALLIE. See 68 Across, above.
70. Wheelhouse: AREA. The idiom "in one's wheelhouse" is synonymous with "right up one's alley" or AREA of expertise or interest.
71. Retreat: NEST.
2020 - 2021 A.D.
72. Blind parts: SLATS. As in window covering.
73. Old autocrat: TSAR.
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
Down:
1. "Got it!": AHA. We can at least put in the H until we figure out if it's going to be AHA or OHO.
2. __ au vin: COQ. C'est francais, n'est-ce pas? A chicken dish made with Brandy and wine.
3. Compassionate but strict approach: TOUGH LOVE.
4. Put on: STAGE. As clued, a verb. As a noun:
5. Carpet type: SHAG.
Now or Later
6. "All Rise" actress Helgenberger: MARG. This proper noun was known from CSI and not from the clue or from Ryan's Hope.
Marg Helgenberger
7. "Got it": I DIG. Wow, 50's hipster slang!
8. Island kingdom whose capital is Nuku'alofa: TONGA. This was easier than if the clue had been "Capital of the Island Kingdom of Tonga".
9. "Romanian Rhapsodies" composer: ENESCO. George ENESCO, often spelled Enescu, composed the two Romanian Rhapsodies in 1901. He was born in Romania but also lived in France. Therefore, the spelling variations.
For Two Clarinets and a Piano
10. Answer to the riddle "What cheese is made backward?": EDAM. An oldie but a goody. M A D E < - - - > E D A M
11. Roomba pickup: CRUMB. True, but a bit of a stretch. A Roomba is an automated vacuum cleaner that can pick up all sorts of things in addition to CRUMBs.
12. Term of affection: CUTIE.
13. Gush on stage: EMOTE. A lot of actors seem to over do it in crossword puzzles.
18. Diamond VIPs: MGRS. A baseball reference. ManaGeRS. My mother, who hailed from Brooklyn introduced me to this book:
21. Freedom, in Swahili: UHURU. Not to be confused with UHURa.
Shown, Here, On The Right
22. Chi.-based flier: UAL. United AirLines is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
23. Some Balkans: SLAVS. There were many other ways to draft this clue as SLAVS include Belarusians, Rusyns, Ukrainians, Czechs, Kashubs, Poles, Slovaks, Sorbs, Bosniaks, Bulgarians, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs, Slovenes, and others.
28. "Mazel __!": TOV. A Hebrew / Yiddish expression of congratulations. Literally, good fortune.
You've Almost Finished The Puzzle, Mazel Tov!
29. Quads on roads: ATVS. All Terrain VehicleS.
Fun For Everyone
30. Breakout stars?: NOVAS. A NOVA, plural sometimes NOVAE, is a transient astronomical event that causes the appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star.
A Nova In The Andromeda Galaxy
32. Surprise attack: RAID.
34. Cinematographer Nykvist: SVEN. SVEN Nykvist is best know for his work with Ingmar Bergman. Even with no idea who they were looking for, the name in the clue was a hint that the answer would very likely be a Scandinavian name.
36. Sermon subject: EVIL.
Dr. Evil
38. Curved sabers: SCIMITARS.
39. Butter __: PECAN. Knife? Finger? No a sweet.
41. Jersey type: V NECK. We have seen this clue and answer before.
42. "On the Floor" singer: JLO. I confess that I would not recognize Jennifer LOpez if I bumped into her on the street. I am even less familiar with her music.
46. Put away: EAT. Yet another of today's idioms.
48. Stein's partner: TOKLAS. Alice B TOKLAS and Gertrude Stein were a couple for forty years. I did see the 1968 movie.
50. Makes illegal: BANS. We never know, until the perps, if it will be BANS or BARS but we can fill in three of the four letters and that usually helps.
52. LeBron's hometown: AKRON. LeBron James, arguably one of the best ever professional basketball players, was born in AKRON, Ohio.
53. Do lutzes, say: SKATE. Today, not the fish but a jump done on a pair of ice SKATEs.
The Russian Explains It
54. Vaudeville fare: SKITS. Short comedy sketches of humorous writing. Often, parodies.
56. Ability: SKILL. Our third-in-a-row answer consisting of five letters and starting with SK.
58. Percussion pair: HI HAT. A HI HAT is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal that is often heard in x-word puzzles.
A Hi Hat
60. One in a sailor's repertoire: KNOT.
61. Beverage nut: KOLA. I seem to recall having KOLA in the last puzzle that I blogged. This time, no Koala riff.
62. Make mittens, say: KNIT.
63. Exploits: USES. The answer could have been DEEDS but not of the type used in a game of Monopoly.
66. Irish actor Stephen: REA. He visits us often.
67. Mr. Potato Head piece: EAR. Mr., Miss, Mrs., Ms., NB and other Potato Heads have been in the news lately with all of their various pieces. Back in the day we used real potatoes. Did I spell that correctly, Dan?
Theme: Once again, the unifier sums it up perfectly.
60. Skirt, as an issue ... or a hint to the puzzle's circles: DANCEAROUND. To make an evasive move. Here the letters spelling a particular kind of dance book-end the theme fill. It's easy to see if you got the circles. Otherwise, not so much.
17. "ABC" group, with "The": JACKSON FIVE. A pop singing group founded in 1965 with the brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael.
JIVE dance originated in the early 1930's. Not sure how closely modern competitive jive dancing matches the original, but here we go.
26. Part-plant DC Comics superhero: SWAMP THING. A humanoid/plant elemental creature with environmentalist tendencies. It has been featured in comics, movies, animation and a TV series.
SWING dance is from the 1940's big band era.
36. Pioneer's wagon with an upward-curved floor: CONESTOGA. The curve was to prevent cargo from tipping or shifting. You can read about it here.
The CONGA is a dance that likely originated in Africa and came to the U.S. via Cuba, in the 1930's. It's a line dance, never mind that these dancers aren't in a line.
50. Weight loss guru:
JENNY CRAIG. Genevieve Guidroz (b. 1932) from Louisiana, married Sindney Crain in 1979. In 1983, they created a nutrition, fitness, and weight loss program in Australia and began offering the program in the United States in 1985.
The JIG is a dance form in 6/8 or 9/8 time with rapid footwork. It is derived from British isles folk dancing of the 16th century.
Hi, Gang. JazzBumpa here to lead you through today's adventure. There's dancing to be done, so let's step to it.
Across:
1. Is sporting: HAS ON. Wears
6. Bobby who lost to Billie Jean King in tennis' "Battle of the Sexes": RIGGS.
11. Place to unwind: SPA. Relaxation site
14. Grenoble's river: ISERE. It's 178 mile course runs from its source in the Alps near the Italian border to where it joins the Rhone.
15. Sign up, in Sussex: ENROL. British spelling, I assume
16. Reliever's asset: ARM. Baseball pitcher who replaces the starter.
19. USN clerk: YEO. Shouldn't this be YOEMAN?
20. Hot state: IRE. Anger
21. Heat unit: THERM. A unit equivalent to 100,000 BTU's.
22. Ruhr Valley city: ESSEN. Famous for its coal mining and steel production.
24. Art class subject: NUDE. A form of visual art focussed on the unclothed human form. It's history goes back to the ancient Greeks.
28. Compulsive thief, for short: KLEPTO-. One experiencing a certain kind of impulse-control disorder.
30. Thoughts spoken onstage: ASIDES. Words spoken by a character directly to the audience, not to other characters.
31. Prefix with comic: SERIO-. Some combination of the comic and the serious.
32. "Not for me": PASS. I'll sit this one out.
35. Left on a liner: PORT. Right is starboard.
39. Popular side: SLAW. Chopped cabbage in a vinaigrette or mayonaise dressing.
49. Without a musical key: ATONAL. Sure. But can you dance to it?
54. New Haven Ivy: YALE. Founded in 1701.
55. Stream of insults, say: ABUSE. Cruel or harsh treatment.
56. "It's __ to you": ALL UP. Do your part.
58. Given a meal: FED.
59. Printemps month: MAI. In France.
63. Outer: Prefix: ECT-. As in ectoderm.
64. Slices in a pie, often: OCTAD. Any grouping of 8 items.
65. Gold unit: OUNCE. This is the Troy ounce, equal to 31.1034768 grams.
66. Blue shade: SKY.
67. Designer fragrance: C K ONE. A Calvin Klein product
68. Prepared for a TV interview: MIKED. Equipped with a microphone.
Down:
1. Mischief: HI-JINKS. Boisterous or rambunctious carryings-on : carefree antics or horseplay. Mischief is causing annoyance, trouble or minor injury.
2. Ordinarily: AS A RULE. Typically, what you can expect.
3. Any of 11 1860s states: SECEDER. The confederacy. And, yes, it was all about slavery. The Articles of Secession of each confederate state make this abundantly clear.
4. Sitcom planet: ORK. From the the TV show Mork and Mindy.
5. Outdoor home: NEST. Where birds dwell.
6. Agree to more issues: RENEW. Ambiguous clue. To continue a subscription to a publication.
7. Start to structure: INFRA-. Refers to the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise. I dislike this kind of clue for a prefix.
8. Big name in fairy tales: GRIMM. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm, were German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers and authors who together collected and published folklore during the 19th century.
9. Federal URL ending: GOV. The last portion of the internet address.
10. Makes things slippery, in a way: SLEETS. Sleet is a mixture or rain and ice pellets.
11. Closes the marital deal: SAYS I DO. You may now kiss the bride.
12. Peacock, e.g.: PREENER. It straightens its feathers with its beak.
13. Surrounded by: AMONGST. In the midst of.
18. Extremely: OH SO. Very, very.
23. Shout from the main mast: SHIP AHOY. A call to greet or get attention.
25. Momentous victories: EPIC WINS.
27. Part of UTEP: PASO. University of Texas at El . . .
29. Excessively: TOO. As too much, too often, too far, etc.
32. Bench press target, for short: PEC. Pectorals, for long -- each of the four large paired muscles that cover the front of the rib cage and serve to draw the forelimbs toward the chest.
33. Bat wood: ASH. What Bat Man hits with.
34. Metaphor for a mess: STY. Where pigs live.
37. "Breaking Bad" agent: NARC. The word narc is slang shorthand for "narcotics agent," a federal agent or police officer who specializes in laws dealing with illegal drugs.
38. Prime meridian std.: GST. Presumably Greenwich Standard Time. I don't mean to be mean, but I don't think this is legit. Everything I can find refers to Greenwich Mean Time
39. Place near the Pennsylvania Railroad: ST JAMES. Properties on the Monopoly game board.
40. Relax: LIE BACK. Recline
41. Retirement income source: ANNUITY. A form of insurance or investment entitling the investor to a series of annual sums.
44. Down: IN A FUNK. Depressed.
45. Chemical bonding number: VALENCE. The number of chemical bonds between an atom and the other atoms it is bonded to in a molecule.
46. Tobogganed: SLEDDED. Slid down a snowy hill.
48. Ophthalmologist, for short: EYE DOC. An ophthalmologist diagnoses and treats all eye diseases, performs eye surgery and prescribes and fits eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct vision problems.
49. Lago filler: AGUA. Spanish lake with Spanish water.
51. Wound up costing: RAN TO. Total of all purchased items.
52. Highway through Whitehorse: ALCAN. The Alaska Highway (French: Route de l'Alaska; also known as the Alaskan Highway, Alaska-Canadian Highway, or ALCAN Highway) was constructed during World War II to connect the contiguous United States to Alaska across Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. When it was completed in 1942, it was about 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) long. [Wikipedia]
53. __-France: ILE DE. A region in north-central France. It surrounds the nation’s famed capital, Paris, an international center for culture and cuisine with chic cafes and formal gardens.
57. Senior's highlight: PROM. A formal dance, often with a theme [but not part of this puzzle's theme] held near the end of the academic year.
61. Comic strip cry: ACK. Of pain or dismay.
62. Non opposite: OUI. No and Yes in the Ile de France, ne c'est pas?
So ends our dance sessions. Hope you avoided any potential faux pas.
