Today Freddie Cheng joins our Saturday themeless parade and, as you will see in his comments, it may be a while until we see another one. This was a real workout for me following my usual Saturday pattern of establishing a base camp and working from there. Nicely done, Freddie!
Hi Gary!
I’m originally from the UK, with a background in electrical engineering with a PhD in telecoms. Have been working in finance in NYC, where I have lived for the last few decades.
This is only my second published themeless, and my first attempt at a 66-worder. I guess I still have a lot to learn, since I must admit I found the whole construction process to be a real slog!
It's been about two years since I first started this puzzle, so with fresh eyes, I can see that 16A is going to be tough going for most people. Probably a necessary evil at the time though, to enable those nice verticals in that NE corner. I believe the puzzle was seeded with the 7D grid-spanner, as I remember playing around with SCREENED IN PATIO also, to try to get to a flashy enough SE corner.
I see that about half the clues were changed/improved. Luckily my personal favorite [for 35D] made it through intact.
Although I do have another 66-worder slated for publication in a NY Times Saturday, it’ll will probably be a very long time before I’ll attempt another one of these!
Cheers,
Freddie
Across:
1. 153-year-old group that became unisex nationally in 1995: ELKS - A group of ELKS at Gouverneur Elks Lodge No. 2035 in Gouverneur, NY in 2019
5. Core muscles: ABS and 1. Score some political points for: ENDORSE - Katy Perry baring her ABS and ENDORSING Hillary in 2016
8. Get some air: INHALE.
14. Assuring word on a cleaning product label: NON-TOXIC
16. Fuel-carrying ship: COALER - Tanker sailed on by as the fuel on that cargo ship wasn't liquid. Freddie said he thought this might be tough.
17. "The Sound of Music" song opener: DOE A DEER - Am I the only one who put THE HILLS for "The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music" which is the first line of the song that actually opens the movie?
18. Stronger-than-steel material: KEVLAR - I think of bullet-proof vests when I hear KEVLAR
19. Like protozoans: ONE CELLED.
21. Prefix with motor: SERVO - New to me. Here a SERVOMOTOR from a hobby shop moves the airplane with feedback from the handheld controller.
22. "Casablanca" café: RICKS - "Of all the gin joints in all the world..."
23. Sushi bar fare: EEL.
25. Cruise stop: PIER - PORT crossing 13. Slips: ERRORS ERRATA looked right
26. Salt sources: SEAS - We watched our neighbors house for a few days and she brought us a gift of chocolates topped with SEA salt. Interesting!
33. Targets of some blocking software: ADULT SITES.
35. Adobe file format: PDF - Our agent in Branson, MO sent us this PDF for our "escape from Covid captivity"!
38. Dangerous things to be behind: ENEMY LINES - Thousands of allied paratroopers were dropped behind ENEMY LINES as part of the D-Day invasion. They knew if the invasion failed there would be no rescue
39. Jazzman Saunders: MERL - I'm much more familiar with MERL(E) Haggard
40. Instruction unit: STEP - Gotta love Ikea's visual directions
41. "Sure!": YEP.
42. Salt's companion: MATEY - I'm thinking Spitzboov and our other sailors at our site would have rarely used this word
43. Drink with a 2021 Peeps variety: PEPSI.
45. 2019 pop biopic: ROCKET MAN - Considered having this Elton John song played at my funeral but...
48. Cowering: IN FEAR.
50. As it happens: REAL TIME - The internet is full of REAL TIME video
51. Cause to lose it: ENRAGE.
52. Like a clean shave: CLOSE CUT - No electric beats my Trac II and Barbasol
53. Seat of Ohio's Montgomery County: DAYTON - Home of our good friend and constructor Mary Lou Guizzo
54. Growth chart nos.: HTS.
55. Sales crew members: REPS.
Down:
2. Canadian coins: LOONIES
A LOON is on the reverse and the Queen is on the Obverse
3. Shinbone neighbor: KNEECAP - Shinbone was also the town where this movie bad guy died.
4. IHOP servings: STACKS.
5. Jump on the ice: AXEL - A triple
6. "The Sinner" Golden Globe winner Jessica: BIEL.
7. Insect-resistant home feature: SCREENED-IN-PORCH - Freddie's seed entry.
8. "Gross!": ICK.
9. Vetoes: NOES - Not NAES
10. Feel sorry for, with "on": HAVE PITY.
11. Apt slogan on merchandise featuring MLB slugger Aaron Judge: ALL RISE - "Here come da Judge"
12. "I need solitude": LEAVE ME
15. Works with rhyming props?: ODES - Here "props" means respect or credit due to a person or thing. Here are the last lines of perhaps rock and roll's most famous ODE (cue the violins at the end) which I'm sure you know. Listen here.
20. Having teeth: DENTATE - having teeth or pointed conical projections. You're welcome.
24. African currency whose singular form is part of its country's name: LEONES - $1 = 10,230 SLL. This bill would be worth about a nickel.
27. Pretty much: MOSTLY.
28. Less likely to chillax: ANTSIER - Chillax is a portmanteau of "CHILL out" and "reLAX." Okay, I'll admit my shame at putting TYPE AER first!😟
29. Roentgen cousins: RADS - Radiation units. Google if you must
31. Noted starter?: DULY
32. Foldable auto convenience: JUMP SEAT - My Dodge pickup had these but grandkids could not use them after they turned 8.
33. Aerial: ANTENNA - When I was heavy into CB radio, the Thunder Stick was the best you could get
34. Cook with batter, usually: DEEP FRY.
35. Loved cheese lovers?: PET MICE - MICE are "cheese lovers" and if they are a PET, I suppose they are loved
36. Visualize: DREAM UP.
37. Bug stoppers: FLY NETS - $46 to get one for Dobbin
At least I think that's the theme! Hello, Cornerites. As you'll see when I insert the picture of the grid, it not only took me awhile to figure out the puzzle, (I FIW in two spots and needed red-letter help) but also to figure out the theme based on the five entries. Our constructor du jour chose five entries (count 'em!) whose first words were synonyms of "rotate", and then used a clue for each of these whose second words were the inverse synonym of the answer.
Still not getting it? Let's look more closely . . .
17-Across. YENOH: INVERT SUGAR. YENOH is HONEY spelled backwards. And HONEY is another word/synonym for SUGAR. Meh. The use of terms of endearment are getting a bit passe in our "politically correct" world
26-Across. GOC: REVERSE GEAR. GOC is COG spelled backwards. And COG is another word/synonym for GEAR
36-Across. TAR: TURNED TRAITOR. TAR is RAT spelled backwards. And RAT is another word/synonym for TRAITOR
50-Across. CBA: BACK CHANNEL. CBA spelled backwards is ABC. And ABC is the name of a TV CHANNEL
60-Across. NEMO: COUNTERSIGN. NEMO is OMEN spelled backwards. And OMEN is another word/synonym for SIGN
So, was I a fan of this puzzle? Not really. And that's not a rap on Mr. Levy. Was it clever? Somewhat. And again, that's not a rap on Mr. Levy. As I review the entries/clues, YENOH and GOC are not normal "words". But TAR and NEMO are. And CBA --> ABC is an abbreviation for American Broadcasting Company. That's my primary "nit". Could he have chosen other vague clues? Perhaps. LANAC (which is CANAL spelled backwards) could've replaced CBA for CHANNEL; SADUJ (JUDAS spelled backwards) could've replaced TAR for TRAITOR; and KRAM (MARK, spelled backwards) could've replaced NEMO for SIGN.
OK, rant over! On to the other clues and fill . . .
Across:
1. Hardly inept: ABLE. I was finally ABLE to solve this puzzle once I turned on the red letters. Still kicking myself for not knowing 34-Down. "Incidentally," in texts: BTW, and 33-Across. Q neighbor: TAB (OH! The "TAB" key on your keyboard, which sits just to the left of the letter "Q")
But ABLE in 1-Across fits nicely with (42-Across. Formerly held the position of:) WAS. How about a palidrome? ABLE WAS I ere I saw Elba. And with all of the backwards clues, a palindrome is quite appropriate!
5. Informal get-together: MEET UP. MEET UP is a new website app which encourages you to join a group to meet people, make friends, find support, grow a business, and explore your interests. Thousands of events are happening every day, both online and in person. Check it out!
11. UFO occupants: ETS. Extra TerrestialS. Folks from outer space
14. Law enforcement tactic: RAID. This kind of "law enforecment"??
15. Midsize Kia: OPTIMA. As you saw, I missed this one completely. I think I had ULTIMA before the red letters corrected me
16. Howard who directed "Willow" (1988): RON. Better known as Opie in the Andy Griffith sitcom of our youth
19. Pretend to be: APE. A crossword staple with many clues
20. Slangy denial: NAH. Nope? NAH
21. __ Plaines: DES. A suburb of Chicago, close to O'Hare aiport.
22. Eponym for a Queens stadium: ASHE. Arthur ASHE was an iconic tennis player. The tennis stadium in Queens, NY where the US Open Tennis Tournament is played is named for him
23. Support wear: BRA. Does anyone recall the sophmoric description for this? "Over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder". I don't envy women who need to wear these
29. Engine leak-preventing device: OIL SEAL. Not a widely used clue/answer, but effective
31. Arranges meaningfully: SORTS. Also a laundry day task
32. Storied bear name: POOH. As in Milne's Winnie the POOH
35. Greek T: TAU. And a letter used in many fraternities and sororoties on college campuses
41. McKellen knighted in 1991: IAN. This guy. Knighted in 1991 and recently famous for his role as Gandalf in LOTR, and he also played Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. But his early years were spent acting in Shakespeare plays
43. E-reader option: iPAD. Kindle didn't fit
45. Basket willow: OSIER. Here is an old crossword answer! And since I've been solving crossword puzzles a long time, this one came easily. OSIER(n.) Synonyms: wicker, withe, willow twig.
48. "You can come out now": IT'S SAFE. But in baseball you can't be safe AND out at the same time
54. Spot for burners and beakers: LAB. As in Chemistry LAB. Not the canine
55. GPS displays: AVES.. Abbr for AVEnueS
56. Dating initials: BCE. Why is BC now called BCE? BCE/CE usually refers to the Common Era (the years are the same as AD/BC). ... The simplest reason for using BCE/CE as opposed to AD/BC is to avoid reference to Christianity and, in particular, to avoid naming Christ as Lord (BC/AD: Before Christ/In the year of our Lord). I hope this definition doesn't violate our blog's "no religion" rules
57. "__ Is Rage 2": Lil Uzi Vert album: LUV. LUV is also the ticker tape symbol on the NYSE for this airline
59. Needy cry from the playroom: MOM. But at 2:00AM when this cry comes from the bedroom, it's often DAD that gets up to see what's the matter! But in the movie "Wedding Crashers", it was an adult who cried out. Oddly, Will Ferrell was not shown in the credits for this movie
65. Altar constellation: ARA. This
66. Goes along: AGREES. And those who wish to be opposite can AGREE to disAGREE
67. Approve: OKAY. Yes! An easy Friday clue and answer!!
68. Case, for example: Abbr.: SYN. OK, Cornerites; help me out here, please! I had no clue what this clue was referring to
69. Crows: BOASTS. "MURDER" fits if it were relating to a group of the birds; but in this case, it refers to the mimicking of the sound a crow makes when it calls out in a squacking manner - as if to BOAST
70. Hall of Famer known as "O Rei do Futebol": PELE. PELE, "The King of Soccer". Another old-school crossword word/name
Down:
1. NFL's Cardinals, on scoreboards: ARI. CSO to those of us who live in the Grand Canyon State. Star WR played his college ball at my alma mater. He should've won the Heisman Trophy in 2003. He lost to Jason White. Yeah, remember him?
2. Prohibit: BAN. I'm guessing that they coined the eponymous deodorant that name because it prohibited a bad aroma?
3. Actress Tyler: LIV. Had this one before when I blogged
4. Paradise: EDEN. As in "The Garden of EDEN"
5. Full of holes: MOTH EATEN. Rarely seen in puzzles; nice clue and answer
6. Short mus. releases: EPS. Extended PlayS was all I could find for a musical reference to this clue, but "extended" doesn't mean "short", does it? Am I missing yet another clue??
7. Piece for practicing technique: ETUDE. Now THIS is a musical reference I get!
8. National animal of Malaysia: TIGER. THIS cat
9. It has a med school in Worcester: U MASS. U MASSachusetts has a main campus in Amherst and a med school in Worcester (pronouned "Wooster")
10. Expected result: PAR. What Phil Mickelson shot on his last hole to cement his PGA victory this past weekend
11. Writing tool: ERASER. Nice clue. Not one used by C Moe as he always solves in pen
12. Accessory for Mr. Monopoly: TOP HAT. And a token used in the board game Monopoly
13. Nasty looks: SNEERS. This? Harry Potter's foil
18. Not seen much: RARE. As opposed to this level of doneness that "finish" most of my steaks
22. Rabbitlike rodents: AGOUTIS. The AGOUTI or common AGOUTI is any of several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced elsewhere in the West Indies. Wikipedia
23. Rap on the head: BOP. Here's that word "BOP" again! BOP has been a popular "visitor" in our LA Times puzzles of late. But this definition is different; and what you do to score points in this arcade game
24. Real hoot: RIOT. When someone or something is a "real hoot", or funny, it's a RIOT. But a RIOT also has a negative connotation when referring to an insurrection. No politics, please
25. Baseball family name: ALOU. Another "Flashback Friday" clue and answer. Felipe, Manny, and Moises ALOU were MLB baseball players, all related, back in the day
27. Guerrero or Guerrero Jr. of baseball: VLAD. Not cool for those of you who dislike frequent Friday sports' names in our puzzles. Back-to-back baseball proper name clues. VLAD (short for VLADimir); Vladimir Guerrero Ramos Jr. (born March 16, 1999) is a Canadian-Dominican professional baseball first baseman and third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the son of former MLB player and Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. He made his major league debut in April 2019. Wikipedia
28. Morales of "Criminal Minds": ESAI. More of the old, stale crossword fill. But constuctor's LUV having four-letter proper names with 3 vowels
30. High-pitched cries: SHRIEKS. Have your computer or smart phone's volume turned down to listen
35. Unseasoned, maybe: TASTELESS. Salt and pepper works for me for most dishes, including my RARE steaks
37. Undercover figure: NARC. The use of the word "NARC" spiked in the 1970's; presumably with the increased use of illegal drugs/narcotics
38. Pour, say: RAIN. Remember this? "When it RAINs it pours"
39. Milky white kind of glass: OPAL. Also a reference to the milky white gemstone
40. "The King of Clay," familiarly: RAFA. Mohammed Ali - formerly, Cassius Clay - is known as the "King" in boxing circles. But today's "King of Clay" refers to the master of the clay court surface in tennis. Rafael "RAFA" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is ranked world No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals, has been ranked No. 1 in the ATP rankings for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. His record of victories on clay surfaces is unmatched. RAFA Nadal has been the most successful player in history on clay courts. He has a 62–8 record in clay court tournament finals and has lost only twice in best-of-five-set matches on clay. He has won 13 French Open titles (and is unbeaten in finals and semifinals), 11 Monte-Carlo Masters and 10 Rome Masters, and won at least one of the three clay-court Masters Series tournaments every year between 2005 and 2014. Wikipedia
44. Ball honoree, perhaps: DEB. Short for DEBuntante, defined as an upper-class young woman making her first appearance in fashionable society
45. 2000s first family: OBAMAS. TRUMPS also fits, believe it or not; as does BIDENS and BUSHES. Take your pick!
46. Food Network adjective: SAVORY. Yet another "spicy" clue/fill in today's puzzle! SAVORY: (of food) belonging to the category that is salty or spicy rather than sweet
47. Nickname for a clutch player: ICEMAN. This guy was known as a "clutch player", but MAVERICK was equal to the task - remake due out this summer
49. Speak indistinctly: SLUR. As in SLURRED words. Was this guy the most famous one for doing that?
51. Former U.S. streaming option: HBO GO. HBO GO is an international TV Everywhere video on demand streaming service offered by the American premium cable network HBO for customers outside the United States. Launched in 2010. Unknown to me. I use ROKU now instead of cable. You?
52. Upscale auto: ACURA. ACURA is the "upscale" model of automobile created by Honda
53. Tijuana tots: NENES. Aren't these the state birds of Hawaii??
58. Cognac designation: VSOP. Ahh! A clue that's right up C Moe's alley! The designations you see on Cognac labels—VS (Very Special), VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) and XO (Extra Old)—are a guarantee of how long a Cognac has been aged. VS indicates that the Cognac has been aged at least two years, VSOP at least four years and XO (Extra Old) at least six years. Here is more info on Cognac
60. Lyft alternative: CAB. UBER didn't fit, but who takes a CAB anymore? The only CAB I take is one poured in a wine glass
61. Hanoi holiday: TET. First popularized during the Vietnam War. TET Offensive
62. 34th prez: IKE. We are at #46 now. I was born when #34 was in office - early in his first term
63. "Wonder Woman" actress Gadot: GAL. GAL Gadot - a 36 year old Israeli actress - portrayed Wonder Woman in the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Gadot received swordsmanship, Kung Fu, kickboxing, capoeira and Brazilian jiu-jitsu training in preparation for the role. Gadot's performance as the superhero, which was the character's first appearance in film, was singled out as one of the best parts of the film. She was also Miss Israel in 2004 and stands 5'10" tall. Wikipedia
64. Emmy-winning scientist: NYE. Funny clip from TBBT
And while we're at it, here is yet another clip with an equally renowned scientist
That's all I got. Comments are always welcomed. See ya in a couple weeks . . .
Today Tim D'Alfonso makes his LA Times Crossword puzzle debut just
as the Summer season approaches, and he greets us with a
real scorcher ...
"Bad Girls" is one of the twists on today's theme that Tim doesn't broach, but
here are the ones he does ...
18A. Author's dream:
BEST SELLER. This dream was answered for
these authors. For another author, see themer 67A below.
26A. It's rated
10+ on the Scoville Scale: GHOST PEPPER. Don't let Tim's rating fool you. According to "Cayenne Diane" the Ghost Pepper is actually rated at 1,041,427 SHU's (Scoville Heat Units). The nursery I bought plants at today was carrying some, but
after reading this, I passed them by ...
56A. Haul, in a bad way: STOLEN GOODS.
67A. "Fifty Shades of Grey," for one:
EROTIC FILM.
In the obscenity case of
Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964) Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, writing for the Court, said that
for the material to be obscene, it must be "utterly without redeeming social
value." It was in this case that Justice Potter Stewart made this
famous quote: "I can't define pornography, but
I know it when I see it." The film "Fifty Shades of Grey" received an MPAAR Rating and
the public rated
E.L. James' book
on which it was based the best seller of the past decade. I've not
seen the film, so I can't weigh in on whether it has "socially redeeming
value". Here's the trailer:
And Tim mixes it all up with ...
42A. 1979 #1 hit for Donna
Summer, and what the four longest Across answers are:
HOT STUFF.
I'll be back in a minute.
I really need to go cool off!
Okay, I think I'm ready
... Across:
1. Base in "A Few Good Men," familiarly: GITMO. Short for the
GUANTANAMO Naval base, a small part of Cuba still owned by the United
States. As I recall, this film exhibits a lot of
HOT TEMPERS in a TROPICAL climate, as
it explores the conflict between the Esprit de Corps of the United States
Marines and
the rule of law. A powerful film:
6. Selection: PICK.
10. Eat away: ERODE.
15. Live, TV-wise: ON AIR.
16. Turkish title: AGHA.
An honorific title for a civilian or military officer, or often part of such title, and was placed after the name of certain
civilian or military functionaries in the Ottoman Empire. At the same time
some court functionaries were also entitled to the
agha title.
17. Red Square honoree: LENIN. My favorite quote from Lenin:
Although,
in truth, others attribute it to Goebbels.
20. White pawns, e.g.: OCTAD. See also 8D below.
21. Became effective: TOOK.
22. Spanish she-bear: OSA.
23. One may be grand: PIANO. As opposed to an "upright" or a
"digital". The PIANO
was invented by
Bartolomeo Cristofori, who named it "clavicembalo col piano e forte" (literally, a harpsichord
that can play soft and loud noises).
Older keyboard instruments were essentially plucked via a mechanical plectrum
or "pick", with no way to control dynamic range, i.e. softness and loudness, or
in Italian "piano" and "forte". The original Italian "pianoforte" was
eventually shortened simply to "piano".
There have been many
variations on this instrument, including one that echos a figure we have already
seen in 16A above.
Around the turn of the 19th century, "Turkish" music was so popular that
piano manufacturers made special pianos with a "Turkish stop,"
also called the "military" or "Janissary" stop. The player would
press a pedal that caused a bell to ring and/or a padded hammer to strike
the soundboard in imitation of a bass drum. Here is Mozart's
Rondo Alla Turca played on a Janissary piano by
Manuela Giardina:
24. GPS displays: RTES.
29. Skip the café: EAT IN.
31. Battleship abbr.: USS. The one that came immediately to mind
was the
USS Constellation, now docked in Baltimore's inner harbor. "The
USS Constellation is a sloop-of-war, the last sail-only warship designed and
built by the United States Navy. She was built at the Gosport Shipyard between
1853 and 1855 and was named for the earlier frigate of the same name that had
been broken up in 1853". After years of disrepair, the ship has been
completely restored and the tours of it are fascinating:
32. Praiseful poem: ODE.
33. Words that may preempt a dismissal: I RESIGN. I used this
phrase a lot to preempt a "Check Mate", when I was playing against a buddy of
mine, a Chess whiz.
35. Bird in Liberty Mutual ads: EMU. They also frequently appear in
Cwds - this is at least the third time since I started blogging on this corner
of the Corner. This past Sunday's puzzle included this gluey clue.
37. __ Valley, Calif.: SIMI. DW and I once took the coastal train
from Berkeley to LA, and it seemed like most of the trip was spent going thru
Simi Valley. The East Coast gets much of it fresh food from here in the cold weather
months. Some would even call it the bread basket of the USA.
48. Ontario-based music gp.: TSO. Not the Chinese chicken dish, but
the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. And here they are with a CSO to our
very own CanadianEh!
51. "Big Little Lies" airer: HBO. Gee, this was in Sunday's puzzle
too, but the answer was one of the co-stars: REESE, as in
WITHERSPOON:
53. Providence-to-Boston dir.: NNE.
55. Island environs: WATER.
61. When tripled, a story shortener: YADA. The phrase "yadda yadda"
was first popularized by the comedian
Lenny Bruce
in his standup bit "Father Flotsky's Triumph," the closing track on his 1961
album "Lenny Bruce - American." It gained renewed popularity in the US in the
late 1990s on the television show Seinfeld, where it appears as a
catchphrase, initially in Season 8, Episode 19, entitled “The Yada Yada”, originally aired on April 24, 1997,
62. Ralph of "The Waltons": WAITE.
Ralph Waite
was not only an actor, but also a political activist.
Ralph Waite (June 22, 1928 - February 13, 2014)
63. "So awful!": UGH. See 66D below.
64. Nautical unit: KNOT. The knot (/nɒt/) is
a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, exactly 1.852 km/h (approximately
1.151 mph or
0.514 m/s). It is not surprising that
sailors would use this word in the measurement of speed and distance at sea, as
they are the masters of KNOTS. In fact they wrote the book on
it. I thought my copy was out of print, but I was delighted the find that
it is still available:
66. Moray catcher: EELER. An EELER (pursuer of Family
Anguilliformes) would really have to know his/her eels to go after a MORAY (subfamily Muraenidae). Some of the genera are really HOT STUFF, e.g. the flesh of some species is highly toxic, whereas larger species may be
aggressive and are capable of killing humans. However their exotic nature
makes them of interest to tropical fish mavens:
Fangtooth Moray Eel
71. Crosswise, on deck: ABEAM.
72. Suckers: SAPS.
73. "__ now, when?": IF NOT.
74. Singer nicknamed "The Velvet Fog": TORME.
MEL TORME (September 13, 1925 - June 5, 1999) was
an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and
author.
He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open
Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells. Here he is singing
"Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" ...
75. Hook's sidekick: SMEE. What's a nice guy like SMEE doing
hanging out with a crook like Hook:
76. Certain NCOs: SSGTS. Staff Sergeants.
Down:
1. Hunk: GOB. Be still your hearts Cornerettes.
2. Serpent's tail?: INE. While this could e.g. refer to a winding
road, I'm assuming that this clue is a misdirection for the suffix INE,
and thus might refer to
a group of green, brown, or spotted minerals. Serpentine minerals are quite versatile, providing everything from
crushed aggregate for road paving all the way to a fine sculpture medium
resembling a green marble, This Chinese carving depicts
Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva* associated with compassion:
* roughly equivalent to one of our angels.
3. Competition with blindfolds, maybe: TASTE TEST. This should
have been CMOE's puzzle, but the clue could also describe a child's game with
a
Piñata, or
Pin the Tail on the Donkey. You can buy the necessities at your local party store.
4. Cell division: MITOSIS.
The clue says it all, but if you want more
here's a brief intro
to this complicated subject.
5. Roughly: OR SO.
6. Bud: PAL.
7. Inuit homes: IGLOOS. These links on the
Inuits
and
the homes they used to live in
are from the Canadian Encyclopedia (another CSO to CanadianEh!).
8. Place for kings and queens: CHESS SET. PALACE came up
short.
9. Gold measure: KARAT. I always confuse this with CARAT,
both measurements for precious substances (gold and gemstones,
respectively). A
carat is a unit of weight (0.200 grams) used to measure the weight of a gemstone such as a
diamond. A KARAT is a measurement indicating the
proportion of gold in an alloy out of 24 parts, so 18K gold is
18/24 parts gold. Sounds simple enough, but how do you measure the
proportion of gold in an alloy? For that I refer you to
The Story of Archimedes and the Golden Crown. Thus Archimedes discovered a new type of measurement:
density or the ratio of mass over volume.
We'll save the definitions for CARET and CARROT for a later
puzzle. Isn't English spelling fascinating!
10. Ran off to get hitched: ELOPED.
11. Chef's assortment: RECIPES.
12. Ready to be poured: ON TAP.
13. Lane of "Unfaithful": DIANE.
Diane Colleen Lane is an American actress and producer. Born and raised in
New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 13 in George Roy Hill's
1979 film A Little Romance. A major supporting role was played by Laurence
Olivier, who called her "the new Grace Kelly".
14. Ewoks' home: ENDOR.
19. Hosp. readout: EKG.
24. Isabella, por ejemplo: REINA. Today's Spanish
lesson. Or perhaps someone who lives in a "juego de ajedrez" (see 8D).
28. Hairdos made popular by Marie Antoinette: POUFS. This was
apparently the wrong hairstyle at the wrong time:
Marie Antoinette(November 2, 1755 - October 16, 1793)
30. Medical research org.: NIH.
National Institutes of Health.
34. Boarded: GOT ON.
36. Like some colors: MUTED. And like some MICS. If
you're throwing shade, make sure yours isn't
HOT.
38. Pretending to be: IMITATING.
39. Called from the pasture: MOOED. DW and I finally got around to
watching All Creatures Great and Small. Great series with a lot of
MOOING. Rumor has it there WILL be a Season 2.
40. Prefix with mural: INTRA. Also a prefix with
UTERINE. Speaking of which ...
43. Ultrasound image: SONOGRAM. This is a SONOGRAM of my
oldest grandson, aged 6 months. Eighteen years later he is graduating from
high school this weekend and will then be headed off to Wyoming Catholic College
in Lander, WY. His first 2 weeks there will be spent on an "outward bound"
trek through the Wyoming wilderness. Who'd have thought that all of that
would happen as a result of this:
44. Small amount: FEW.
47. Blues, e.g.: NHL TEAM. For any Hockey noobs (hand up
here),
everything you want to know about the Blues. Based on today's scores (5/22/2021), it looks like the
Avalanche were giving them something to be
blue about.
St Louis Blues
50. Terminations: LAYOFFS.
52. "Cold one, please": BEER ME.
54. Words of despair: NO HOPE. Often a self-fulfilling prophecy.
56. It may be broken in a gym: SWEAT. A lot of it is being broken
in the next answer ...
58. Gulf ship: OILER.
A lot of OILERS were blocked from passing through the Suez Canal this
past Spring, when the massive container ship Ever Given ran aground there and was
stuck for a week. To give you some idea of the damage wreaked by this
catastrophe: About 12% of global trade, around one million barrels of oil
and roughly 8% of liquefied natural gas pass through the canal each day.
The chairman of the Suez Canal Administration estimated that the Canal's
revenues alone were taking a $14m-$15m (£10.2m-£10.9m) hit for each day of the
blockage.
59. Jeans brand with a question mark in its logo: GUESS. Okay, I
give up?
60. Hit the slopes: SKI. A CSO to Malodorous Manatee.
65. "JAG" spin-off: NCIS.
68. Mao __-tung: TSE. Or when repeated a deadly fly.
69. Realtor's offering: LOT. I think LOT's wife is more
famous than most realtors. She was a real pillar of her community until
she was turned into a
PILLAR OF SALT
for looking back as she fled Sodom.
70. Peaks: Abbr.: MTS. And now for the ultimate in
HOT STUFF, that gluiest of Cwd glue:
Theme: Stagecraft. The last lines of the theme entries construct a PLAY, from the ground up.
20 A. Reveal more than is acceptable, say: CROSS THE LINE. Go to far, in almost any context
36 A. Bicker in public, say: CAUSE ASCENE. Who would ever do this?
42 A. Avoid involvement: REFUSE TOACT. See no evil, avoid taking a side.
54 A. Miss a bunt sign, say: BOTCH THEPLAY. Any sort of offensive or defensive mis-play in a sport
And the unifier: 63. The four longest Across answers can cause it, and their last words suggest it: DRAMA.
Each entry, in order, specifies a larger portion of a theatrical production - though, since all the world's a stage, DRAMA can ensue independently with any of the theme clues.
Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to direct our way through this presentation. Let's not miss any cues.
Across:
1. Yearn: LONG. Earnestly desire something
5. Son of Homer: BART. On the long-running Simpsons TV show
9. New Zealand bird: KIWI.
13. Decorate: ADORN. Presumably enhance the beauty of.
15. Son of Isaac: ESAU. Biblical twin.
16. Turkmenistan neighbor: IRAN. In Western Asia,
17. Homeland of Heraclitus: IONIA. An ancient region on the central part of the western coast of Anatolia in present-day Turkey,
18. The Heritage Foundation, for one: THINK TANK. A research institute that advocates for program actions regarding economics, social policy, political strategy, etc.
22. Philosopher __-tzu: LAO. Commonly rendered as "Old Master," a semi-legendary figure taught to have live in either the 4th or 6th century BCE. Read about him here.
23. Miami-to-Kingston dir.: SSE. South-south-east to Jamaica.
24. Texting format, for short: SMS. Short Message Service.
27. __-bitty: ITTY. Teeny tiny.
30. H.S. record: GPA. Grade Point Average from your Time in High School.
33. "Can we do this?": IS IT OK? Are we allowed?
35. Crow call: CAW. Sound of crows - if there is a crow call roll call, it could lead to murder.
38. Island greeting: ALOHA. In Hawaii
40. Chiefs' org.: NFL. Kansas City tea in the National Football League.
45. Bottom line: NET. The final total of a balance sheet or other financial document.
46. Password preceder: USER I D. You need both to get past a pay wall.
47. Messenger __: RNA. A single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of synthesizing a protein.
48. Reel holders: RODS. Fishing gear
49. Sun. speech: SERmon, delivered in church.
50. Never, to Nietzsche: NIE. German.
52. Biol. or ecol.: SCI. Sciences.
60. Sleeveless undergarments: CAMISOLES. Usually made of satin , nylon, silk or cotton
64. Track shape: OVAL. A closed planar curve having a long axis and a short axis.
65. Hindu deity: RAMA. The 7th avatar of Vishnu. {more]
66. Peter, vis-‡-vis pumpkins: EATER. From a nursery rhyme about revenge on a wayward wife.
67. Like some basements: DANK. Dark, cold and damp.
68. Recipe verb: STIR. Blend with mixing device.
69. Await judgment: PEND. Remain undecided.
Down:
1. Not clerical: LAIC. Not of the clergy.
2. Skunk tipoff: ODOR. The unpleasant aroma of butyl mercaptan.
3. Taboo: NONO. Something to not do.
4. Like details that make you go "Eww!": GRISLY.
5. One of the March sisters: BETH. She dies during the course of Little Women, an 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott
6. Arthur of tennis: ASHE. Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. [1943-1993] won three grand slam singles titles, and was the first black player selected to the U.S. Davis Cup team.
7. Train tracks: RAILS.
8. North African country: TUNISIA. The northernmost country in Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Algeria to the west and Lybia to the east.
Mandatory
9. Toy on a string: KITE. Or could be a yoyo, as I first thought .
10. George's lyricist: IRA. The Gershwin brothers
11. Pale: WAN. In an unhealthy way.
12. Printer fluid: INK.
14. "Apollo 11" org.: NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
19. Israeli parliament: KNESSET. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the president and prime minister (although the latter is ceremonially appointed by the President), approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government. In addition, the Knesset elects the state comptroller.
21. Frat party garb: TOGA. The toga, a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between 12 and 20 feet in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic
24. Fondue fuel: STERNO. Jellied denatured alcohol in a can, used for buffet heating.
25. Affluent: MONIED. Wealthy.
26. Robot companion of superhero Booster Gold: SKEETS. More here, in case you care.
27. Wax-winged flier of myth: ICARUS. He flew too close to the sun. Could this be a metaphor?
28. "Unto the Sons" memoirist: TALESE. Gay Talese [b 1932] started as a sports writer in high school, and as a journalist for The New York Times and Esquire magazine during the 1960s, he helped to define contemporary literary journalism.
29. BOGO offering: TWOFER. Buy One, Get One [at no extra charge}: two for the prices of one.
31. Fourth-down play: PUNT. In American football, a play that gives up the ball by kicking it down the field to give the opposing team a less advantageous position.
32. Concerning: AS FOR. In regard to
34. Drink cooler: ICE. Frozen water.
36. Foxwoods and Caesars: CASINOS. Gambling establishments. Remember - odds always favor the house.
37. Vigorous spirit: ELAN. Energy, style and enthusiasm.
39. Ben-__: HUR. An epic 1959 film set in A.D. 26 about a Jewish prince in Jerusalem betrayed into slavery by a Roman commander who was his childhood friend. After that, DRAMA happens.
43. Masthead names: EDITORS. The masthead is a printed list, published in a fixed position in each edition, of a publication's owners, departments, officers, contributors and address details.
44. Credit alternative: CASH. Money handed over.
48. Breakwater material: RIPRAP. Loose stone piled in place to prevent shore erosion.
51. Dazzling display: ECLAT. Brilliant success.
53. Surrender, as land: CEDE. To yield or grant, typically by treaty.
58. Congregation cry: AMEN. Utterance at the end of a prayer, meaning "so be it."
59. Very tall beer glass: YARD.
60. "Sacred" fish carving in the Massachusetts State House: COD. Read about it here.
61. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA. Ava Marie DuVernay [b 1972] is an American filmmaker. She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award.
62. Hombre: MAN. Spanish
And so we draw the curtain on another Wednesday. Hope you found it worth the price of admission.
