Enrique is a new constructor for me at the Saturday Themeless Depot and I have to tell you I had a great time. I finished in very good time, loved the clever fill and had great confidence in the names I knew not. Enrique has a great website full of crossword wit and wisdom at https://datalexic.com
Enrique's Oakland, CA Employer https://www.askmediagroup.com
Across:
1. Tools that may cause webpages to go down: SCROLL BARS - What a hoot to start with such a clever clue
11. Ersatz: SHAM - Yeah, I put FAKE first
15. "I said what I said": YOU HEARD ME.
16. Grilled fruit in tacos al pastor: PINA - Pineapples (PINAs) are often included in tacos al pastor (in the style of the shepherd).
21. Takes the wrong way: SWIPES - STEALS could have worked
23. Confer (upon): BESTOW.
26. Words of concession: I LOSE - Tipping over your king in chess is a silent way of conceding
27. Second cousin?: MOMENT - Wait a second/MOMENT
30. French region that produces GSM blends: RHONE - "The acronym “GSM” is a short-hand reference for a red wine blended from these three 33. Grenache, Syrah, or Mourvèdre, e.g.: RED GRAPEs
32. Juvenile retort: ARE SO.
37. Home of the Kraken: SEATTLE.
40. Streaming option: NETFLIX.
41. Champurrado, for one: HOT DRINK - A thick, Mexican chocolate drink
43. Goddess of peace: IRENE - Also spelled Eirene
44. __ waves: RADIO - Marconi's original RADIO waves have now traveled over 470 trillion miles Earth.
45. Motes: SPECKS - Luke 4:41And why beholdest thou the MOTE that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
46. Worshipper of the sun god Huitzilopochtli: AZTEC - "Huitzilopochtli (weet·see·luh·powch·tuh·lee) is the AZTEC sun and war god often represented in art as either a hummingbird or an eagle." You're welcome.
49. Neglect: DISUSE - My bicycle has fallen into a state of DISUSE.
51. Roughly 3.26 light-years: PARSEC - PARSEC and light-years are both astronomy units that are measures of distance and not time. Google if you must.
53. "Candidly," initially: TBH - To Be Honest, I just learned this phrase in this Justin Daneau puzzle of July 11, 2022: 51. "Frankly," in texts: TBH.
54. White lie: FIB - I've told a few that spared some feelings. "Does this ___ make my ___ look ___?"
57. Brouhahas: ADOS.
58. In person: FACE TO FACE.
62. Ready: RIPE.
63. Protester's medium: OPEN LETTER - In August of 1963 Martin Luther King wrote an OPEN LETTER from the Birmingham, AL jail that helped change history. Here's all 5 1/2 pages of it
64. Set (up): TEED - This obvious golf reference also applies to comedy straight men as well who have TEED/Set up jokes for their partners. Dean Martin made millions doing it but got tired of it.
65. Like maple-glazed bacon: SALTY SWEET - My fav candy bar is too.
Down:
1. Pt. of GPS: SYST.
2. Like some softball teams: COED.
3. Rough patches: RUTS.
4. "Ex's & __": Top 10 hit for Elle King: OHS.
5. Good motto to follow in a National Park: LEAVE NO TRACE - Amen!
6. Most recent: LATEST.
7. Royal involved in baseball's Pine Tar Incident: BRETT - BRETT later joked it was lucky that his teammates kept him away from 6'6" home plate umpire Tim McClelland who disallowed BRETT'S home run because of the pine tar too far up the bat.
8. Canine care org.: ADA - Our canine teeth not our dogs
9. B&B units: RMS - Rooms
10. California-based chocolate brand: SEES - The mammoth Nebraska Furniture Mart in Omaha has featured them for decades.
11. Like a review that's not very revealing?: SPOILER FREE - Hey, don't mention anything about Norman Bates' mother in the review.
12. Semiaquatic mammal: HIPPO.
13. Stud fees: ANTES - You have to ANTE to play stud poker
14. En __: MASSE.
22. Footwear with overlays: WING TIP SHOES - I wore my Florsheims until they literally fell apart.
23. Red carpet list: BEST DRESSED - ...or best undressed
24. NHL legend: ORR.
25. Question of time: WHEN - It's not a question of if, it's a question of WHEN.
27. Beer-brewing mixture: MASH - MASHING is the term given to the start of the brewing process, where crushed grains are mixed with water to form a porridge-like mixture called the MASH.
Copper Beer MASH Tun
28. Layered snack: OREO.
29. Charcuterie fare: MEAT.
31. Elizabeth Acevedo's "__ to the Head Nod": ODE - Here it is
Doctor Doctor, gimme the news; I got a bad case of lovin' you. No pill's gonna cure my ill; I got a bad case of lovin' you...
Happy Friday and your most loving host is back on track alternating with C Moe. Today we have a classic add two letters (in this case DR the accepted abbreviation for Doctor) to create new and amusing puns and fill. It is also standard symmetry beginning with 17A. The distribution is 11/13/11/13 with no reveal needed. ZDL also laces the puzzle with some extra sizzle with four 10 letter fill packed into the down fill - STOLEN KISS, PRETTY SOON, I NEED SPACE, and BALD EAGLES. There are some challenging clues and some very witty ones but it is time to add more. The theme:
DR is added to the beginning of four phrases:
17A. Medical pro who avoids the rear of the ship?:DRAFT DODGER (11). If you picture a man in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck who will not go to the rear (AFT) of the ship you get what is going one.
26A. Medical pro who holds a pal's hand in a tattoo parlor?: DRINKING BUDDY (13). Now we have a friend who accompanies another about to get a new Tattoo and is nervous.
42A. Medical pro who engineers hairpin turns?: DRESS DESIGNER (13). Ess curves are what makes driving a real challenge and a doctor who lays out the route for a Formula 1 race to make it scary, you have gotten it all.
55A. Medical pro who is a sick chess player?: DRILL MASTER (11). Chess masters are their most successful players, and one who is not well and plays on would be an ill master.
In retrospect, very easy; now to review the rest.
Across:
1. Luxurious: PLUSH. Etymonline says "soft fabric, cloth having a softer and longer nap than that of velvet," 1590s, from French pluche "shag, plush..."
6. Bubble tea insert: STRAW. Very tricky and amusing since you must put in a straw to drink the tea.
11. Sweet sandwich, for short: PBJ. Peanut Butter and Jelly. I am Jelly, Oo is Peanut Butter.
14. A Marx brother: HARPO. Since their stage names were all 5 letters ending in O, this required the perps. Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo
15. Small crown: TIARA. I never thought of it that way, but it is obvious.
16. Grammy winner Corinne Bailey __: RAE. Norma has clearly lost her place; I did not know this singer.
19. Approximate fig.: ESTimate.
20. Actor Mineo: SAL. This is a dated fill though he was famous as an actor in Rebel Without a Cause and getting murdered. If you do not know this story here it is. LINK.
21. Yarns: TALES. Growing up in New England, the spinning of Yarns were the words not the cloth.
22. Key near Alt: CTRL. There are a few.
23. Farmers market buy: KALE. I still think of it as a garnish, not food.
24. Rum cocktail: MAI TAI. My sweet wife orders this when a cocktail is appropriate but they seldom come out as the same drink. The original RECIPE.
31. Actress Zellweger: RENEE. Anyone watching The Thing About Pam?
32. Eucalyptus eater: KOALA. According to National Geographic Koalas are not bears—they're marsupials.
33. Plant juice: SAP. Good for so many things including making maple syrup.
36. Peak: APEX. ACME, you pick.
37. The Good Book: BIBLE. There is much debate about the books and the history of the bible, a religious topic which I will not weigh in on.
38. Top-ranked: A-ONE. A sauce?
39. Sorrow: WOE. A quick double header, with...
40. "What a pity": SO SAD.
41. Aerial photography craft: DRONE. Doctor one is not a themer.
45. ABCs: BASICS. What you learn first in school, maybe.
47. Plus: ALSO. Rhymes with...
48. Big trade show: EXPO.
49. Noncommittal: VAGUE. Exactly describing the clue/fill.
51. Investigative journalist __ B. Wells: IDA. A pioneer of women and black women's rights. LINK.
54. Long of "Empire": NIA. She has starred in many movies and TV shows. Her IMDB.
58. Washington's Sea-__ Airport: TAC. Seattle-Tacoma. A niece of mine just moved there.
59. "Cross my heart!": NO LIE. Meh.
60. Title holder: SPINE. Very fun, as the part of a book where the title is embossed is the spine. Also where many tattoos appear.
61. Estadio cheer: OLE. Spanish lesson - stadium and cheer.
62. Lies for, maybe: ABETS. Helps someone get away with something.
63. Snap course: EASY A.
Down:
1. Many profs: PHDS. More doctors.
2. "The Secrets We Kept" novelist Prescott: LARA. Some BACKGROUND.
3. River to the Caspian: URAL. This famous body of WATER. 43D. __ Grande: RIO. Another river dividing countries.
4. Sunblock letters: SPF. Sun Protection Factor, is a measure of how well a sunscreen will protect skin from UVB rays.
5. Quick, provocative opinion: HOT TAKE. Part of the end of true journalism IMO.
6. Unexpected smack?: STOLEN KISS. Very nice as a clue and an act.
7. Laundry brand: TIDE. This HISTORIC product changed doing laundry.
8. Old T-shirts, maybe: RAGS. Is there a man among you who has not lost a favorite shirt to this scourge?
9. "__ we good?": ARE. I hope so, I love you.
10. Simple card game: WAR. This is even played in casinos.
13. Actor who plays the Emperor in 2020's "Mulan": JET LI. The famous action hero appeared in the live action version of this anime classic.
18. "The Persistence of Memory" painter: DALI. Who doesn't love Salvador.
22. Spain's El __: CID. He was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain, made famous by this movie...
23. "Where creativity clicks" construction toy: K-NEX. HISTORY.
24. Slip-on shoe: MULE. I cannot imagine these asses staying still long enough to wear.
25. Programming pioneer Lovelace: ADA. The abandoned daughter of poet Lord Byron. LINK.
26. Sketch: DRAW.
27. Forfeited auto: REPOsession.
28. "Please give me some alone time": I NEED SPACE. Greta Garbo anyone?
29. Sour: GO BAD. Milk anyone?
30. Birds of prey that were once endangered: BALD EAGLES. This is proof of what we can do if we commit as a country, oops never mind that sounds political.
34. Basketball Hall of Famer Donovan: ANNE. She died of heart failure apparently being 6'8" tall is hard on the body. This is not an issue for Friday bloggers.
37. Bigwig: BOSS. Have any of you watched the Horrible Bosses movies? Rachel, why did we lose you?
38. Best Picture winner set in Iran: ARGO. This revived Ben Affleck's career and now he got to marry J-Lo. Hollywood is grand.
40. Jiff: SEC. Not more Peanut Butter.
41. Pathology study: DISEASE. What does the study of paths have to do with illness?
44. Run-down area: SLUM. I do not think this is a politically acceptable word. Pre-gentrified maybe?
45. Box lunch?: BENTO. The word “bento” was actually derived from the Southern Song Dynasty slang term biàndāng, which means “convenient.” Timeline.com.
46. The first "A" in CAT scan: AXIAL. CAT scan stands for Computed Axial Tomography.
49. Dreadful: VILE.
50. Came to rest: ALIT. This bugs me.
51. Terse affirmation: IT IS. Make it so!
52. Turn down: DENY. Not the bed, but the offer.
53. Painter's calculation: AREA. Hopefully a calculation made by all who are working on your house.
55. Genetic info carrier: DNA.
56. Director Reiner: ROB. Most famous for the scene with his mother and Meg Ryan.
57. Mani-pedi place: SPA. How fun to end with a complete shout out to our own super hero Lucy.
Another struggle with technology but we made it to here. Thank you all for coming, reading and writing. I also send a big THANKS to Zachary for the entertainment and we would look silly if we had no puzzle to discuss.
And unless I missed something, their theme is pretty simple. Enclosed within the
circles (sorry Anon) in each themer are the reversed names of three shades of the color RED:
17A. Some plant-based patties:
SOY BURGERS. RUBY, as in
gem quality corundum. 27A. Little by little:
SLOWLY BUT SURELY. Little by little, in the presence of oxygen iron turns to
RUST resulting in
Iron Oxide .
46A. Opening for some nostalgic stories:WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE. As in WINE, or as one of my local DJs likes to call it, "the world's favorite beverage". Recently I was having one of those "WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE"
talks with my precocious 6 year old grandson. The problem was getting
a word in edgewise. I can't imagine where he got that from.
And
here's the reveal: 61A. 2022 Pixar film about a girl who
goes through unusual changes, and the change seen inside each set of
circles:TURNING RED. A movie about a little girl with a walking identity crisis:
Here's the grid:
Across:
1. Sprouted: GREW.
5. Britcom starring Joanna Lumley, to fans: AB FAB.
Absolutely Fabulous. This was the only G rated clip I could find (well GP maybe). Unexpectedly called upon to get something to eat for a friend, Patsy
Stone finally brings herself to eat a a crisp (we'd call it a potato chip)
...
Lumley has a long history in British entertainment and is also
absolutely fabulous in dramatic roles as well. Teri and I saw her recently in the
1998 series Coming Home
set at the time of WWII, starring opposite Peter O'Toole.
10. Swing
set site: YARD.
14. Five-star: A ONE.
15. Cruz known as the "Queen of Salsa": CELIA.
Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 –
16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of
the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of
guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba". In the following decades, she
became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to her contributions to Latin music. Here's her signature
Bemba Colorá
(lyrics not available):
16. Completed: OVER. If you want this to be OVER see clue 63D.
21. "The Bachelor" flower: ROSE. Often
RED, but not a themer.
22. Tours of duty: STINTS.
24. Word in many California place names: SAN. SAINT.
Lección de Español número 1 and a clecho to 28D.
The Spanish missions in California
comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established
between
1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. The oldest
cities of California formed around or near Spanish missions, including
the
four largest: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. A
few years back, after attending a wedding in California, we were able to
visit the missions in San Francisco and San Diego.
33. Tiny opening: PORE. PORES can be almost
infinitesimally tiny. A
nuclear pore
is a part of a large complex of proteins, known as a
nuclear pore complex that spans the nuclear envelope, which is the
double membrane surrounding the cell nucleus. There are approximately
1,000 nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) in the nuclear envelope of a vertebrate
cell. The entire nuclear pore complex in humans has a diameter of about
120 nms (there are 25,400,000 nms in an inch). The diameter of the actual channel through it is approximately
5.2 nms. I cannot help but find these cellular components to be astonishing.
The Cell Nucleus
34. Sea cow: MANATEE. Known for their malodorous sense of
humor, Manatees swim thru these waters bi-weekly, so keep your eyes out for one
this time next Thursday ...
35. Grilled meat dish: ASADO. I wanted ASADA, as in
Carne Asada (recipe). But the adjective must agree with the gender of the meat being
grilled. LA CARNE (e.g. beef) is feminine and its adjective
is inflected with an A. Apparently Erica and May wanted a meat
like EL POLLO (chicken (recipe)), which is masculine and its adjective is
inflected with an O. A CSO to Lucina if I haven't gotten
this right (and/or you've got some favorite recipes to share!).
37. Legendary pro wrestler Flair: RIC.
RIC FLAIR,
né Richard
Morgan Fliehr
(born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an
American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as
the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career that
has spanned almost 50 years.
Ric Flair 1996
38. Get going: START.
42. Made into law: ENACTED. "Every time we enact a new law, we
create a new criminal" - Lao Tzu.
45. Oberlin's state: OHIO.
50. Evil spell: HEX. From HEXE, the German for WITCH. My favorite HEXing
story, is about a
hunter encountering a bewitchingly beautiful young woman in the forest
at nightfall. This scene is depicted in a German poem set to music by
Robert Schumann in his song
Waldesgespräch ("Conversation in the Woods"). Here it's sung by
baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (lyrics and translation):
51. Dragon boat race need: OAR. The history of
Dragon Boat Races in words and video ...
Apparently these races are popular not just in China, but all over the
world. When Teri proof-read this review she mentioned that a former
employer of hers was a sponsor for the Baltimore Dragon Boat Club. Check out some of their Past Years Photos.
65. Project on stage: EMOTE. Usually connotes projecting TOO
much, as in "chewing the scenery".
66. Breakfast brand: EGGO. Two gerunds just waiting to happen,
sandwiched between two delicious vowels.
67. Cheek: SASS.
68. Match.com matches: DATES. I was careful not to simply Google
match.com and was lucky to hit on
this site
(poor choice of words?). It's not free you know, but then nothing in
life really is.
69. Interlibrary __: LOAN.
Down:
1. Have a sudden inspiration?: GASP. I hope this review is still
breathing.
2. Jicama, e.g.: ROOT.
Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama, Mexican yam bean, or Mexican turnip, is the name of a native
Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible
tuberous root.
Buying, cooking, recipes. Hand up from anybody who's eaten it. I think I've seen it in
our local grocery, but didn't know what it was:
Jicama
3. New Age artist who often sings in Irish: ENYA.
Enya Patricia Brennan
(born 17 May 1961) is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician, known for
pioneering modern Celtic music. Enya is the best-selling Irish solo artist in
history, and second-best-selling overall in Ireland behind U2. Here's her
Caribbean Blue (lyrics):
4. NAACP co-founder Du Bois:
W.E.B. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois
(February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist,
historian and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington,
Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated
community, and after completing graduate work at the University of Berlin and
Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he
became a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta
University. And a CSO to ACE solver ATLGranny.
6. Is a bad dog by the dinner table, say: BEGS. Well, dogs do have
big noses you know. We just thought of our Labs as the pre-rinse
cycle before loading the plates into the dishwasher.
7. Run for the hills: FLEE.
8. Broadcast: AIR.
9. Guitar player such as Este Haim or Kim Deal, e.g.:
BASSIST. Este is the co-founder of
the band Haim. Here's a 3 minute bass solo (one of the advantages of being a band
owner):
Kimberley Ann Deal
(born June 10, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist. She was bassist and co-vocalist in the alternative rock
band Pixies, before forming the Breeders in 1989. Here she is on bass
playing Gigantic with the Pixies:
10. Asana expert: YOGI. Another CSO to Lucina.
11. Get even for: AVENGE. But someone may get even for getting
even. Repeated REVENGE was the central theme in the trilogy
of Greek plays by Aeschylus called the
Oresteia, about murderous actions that took place before and following the Trojan
War.
18. Risk territory that borders Siberia: URAL.
Risk is a strategy board game of diplomacy, conflict and
conquest
for two to six players. The standard version is played on a board depicting a
political map of the world, divided into forty-two territories, which are
grouped into six continents. I recall many a rainy Summer afternoon as a
kid trying to take over this world:
23. Squares up: TRUES. I found a lot of possible
definitions for this, but as my father was a carpenter
I settled on this one.
24. Bothnian Bay country: SWEDEN. The
Bothnian Bay
is East of Sweden in the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in
turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea.
25. Voting rights activist Abrams: STACEY.
Stacey Yvonne Abrams(born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights
activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from
2007 to 2017.
Stacy Abrams
27. Facial venue: SPA.
According to this site, SPA is the 25th most common fill in crossword puzzles. The
site contains lots of other useful information of possible benefit to our
constructors.
28. Word in many California place names: LOS. The most famous of
these of course is LOS ANGELES. Spanish for THE.
Lección de español número 2, and a clecho to 24A.
29. __ pro nobis: ORA. PRAY FOR US. Today's Latin
lesson. A common response to
litanies of
intercessory prayers.
30. Place to unwind on a train: BAR CAR.
31. Textbook divisions: UNITS.
32. Comeback: RETORT. Also a device for the distillation of
spirits, a
RETORT (aka a CONDENSER) is what moonshiners call a 'STILL.
36. Vidalia bulb: ONION. Chopping Vidalia onions is a cheerful
not a tearful experience. By US law these sweet onions
are grown only in the State of Georgia. Another CSO to ATLGranny.
39. "I've got it!": AHA.
40. Contraption: RIG. For example, a RETORT (see
32D).
41. Low digit: TOE.
43. Expected: AWAITED.
44. Ripsnorters: DOOZIES. A real humdinger of a clue.
46. Sharp blows: WHACKS.
47. Capital near the Great Divide: HELENA. Helena, Montana was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864.
Due to the gold rush, Helena would become a wealthy city, with
approximately 50 millionaires inhabiting the area by 1888. The
concentration of wealth contributed to the city's prominent, elaborate Victorian architecture as well as this Gothic Revival cathedral on the National Registry of Historic Places:
54. Kitten's cries: MEWS. Mews is also a British word for a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses
with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before
motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century.
Horsbury Mews Notting Hill, UK
55. Jogging pace: TROT.
56. Poker stake: ANTE.
57. "By that logic ... ": ERGO. A Latin word made famous by philosopher and mathematician René Descartes.
58. Ginormous: MEGA. Or GIGA.
59. Shabu-shabu noodle, often: UDON. Everything you'd want to know about UDON noodles. You can use them in Shabu Shabu,
which is a popular Japanese-style hot pot where the meat and assorted
vegetables are cooked in a flavorful broth called kombu dashi. Everyone
at the table takes part in the communal cooking and enjoys the
ingredients with different dipping sauces. Here's a recipe (video and text).
Shabu-shabu
62. Actress Thurman: UMA. Move on. Nothing to see here.
63. Come together: GEL. Well, it looks like this review has finally GELLED!
And thanks as always to Teri for proof reading and her constructive suggestions.
waseeley
Cheers, Bill
Erica Hsiung Wojcik and May Huang, you are both invited to post anything you'd like to
share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever, in
the Comments section below. We'd love to hear from you.
17. Religious figure known as the "Queen of Heaven": VIRGIN MARY.
24. Novelist known as the "Queen of Crime": AGATHA CHRISTIE
31. Military division known as the "Queen of Battle": INFANTRY.
46. Field of study known as the "Queen of the Sciences": THEOLOGY.
52. Singer known as the "Queen of Jazz": ELLA FITZGERALD.
64. City known as the "Queen of the West": CINCINNATI. Queen of the West also refers to a 1995-built replica steamboat, on the Columbia River near Hood River, Oregon.
Melissa here. Six QUEEN theme answers in this one, and no unifier. I was over-thinking, expecting the theme to be something more than just QUEEN - but there doesn't appear to be anything else that connects them all. This appears to be Dan Caprera's LA Times debut - congratulations Dan, and welcome to the Corner.
Across:
1. Paul of guitar fame: LES. In 2009, Paul was named one of the top ten electric guitarists of all time by Time magazine. Two years later he was named the eighteenth greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. How To Choose a Les Paul.
19. Fashion journalist García: NINA. editor-in-chief of Elle, and a judge on the Bravo/Lifetime reality television program Project Runway since its first season.
20. Trick: SCAM.
21. Small matter: ATOM.
23. Gorp morsel: NUT. a term for trail mix often used by hikers in North America, is typically said to be an acronym for "good ol' raisins and peanuts", although the mix may contain M&M's and other nuts.
29. Battery size: AAA.
30. River to the English Channel: SEINE.
36. Frontera condiment: SALSA. Frontera translates to border in English. Frontera Grill is Rick Bayless's restaurant in Chicago, and also the name of a 2014 movie starring Ed Harris.
39. New Mexico art community: TAOS.
40. Gushes: SPEWS.
43. Mosque prayer leader: IMAM.
44. Quick messages: TEXTS.
48. Smiles: GRINS.
51. Tax-deferred nest egg, briefly: IRA.
58. Murmur: COO.
59. Pacific Islands staple: TARO.
60. Spiffy: NEAT.
62. The "L" of YOLO: LIVE. You Only Live Once.
68. Neighborhood: AREA.
69. Dream up: IDEATE. Believe it or not, ideate is a very old word. It came into English in the 1600s, mostly as a term used in discussing Plato's philosophy.
70. Charge: FEE.
71. Skills evaluation: TEST.
72. Built a tree house?: NESTED. Great clue.
73. Fabric store meas.: YDS.
Down:
1. WCs: LAVS.
2. Gospel singer Campbell: ERICA.
3. Skinny sort: SCRAG. "An unattractively thin person or animal."
4. "__ hear": SO I.
5. "Fareed Zakaria GPS" network: CNN. Analysis and interviews, Sundays at 10am & 1pm ET.
6. Sleep acronym: REM. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a stage of sleep associated with dreaming and memory consolidation. It accounts for approximately 20–25% of an adult’s sleep cycle and over 50% of an infant’s. A lack of REM sleep may have adverse implications for physical and mental health.
7. Oscar of 2021's "Dune": ISAAC. Rawr.
8. Some overnight deliveries?: BIRTHS. Cute.
9. Fictional donkey: EEYORE. Winnie the Pooh. The rabbit is Rabbit. The owl is Owl. But Eeyore, the donkey, takes his name from a phonetic spelling of the sound a donkey makes.
10. Samovar: URN. Often of brass, with a spigot near its base, widely used in Russia to boil water for tea.
11. Patron of sailors: SAINT ELMO. And abdonimal pain. Serious!
18. Early show since 1975, briefly: GMA. Good Morning America on ABC.
22. Nintendo Switch avatars: MIIS. Any gamers here? A Mii (/miː/ MEE) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console (clever, "We" and "Me") in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices.
25. Do something to hide?: TAN. Favorite clue today.
26. Metaphor for roles: HATS. As in, "She wears many hats."
27. Org. with driver safety courses: AARP. American Association of Retired Persons is a non-partisan interest group for people aged fifty and older. Founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired high school principal.
28. SpongeBob's pet Gary, for one: SNAIL.
31. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT. From the TV show The Munsters.
32. "Sorry, lassie": NAE. Scots Gaelic, or Scottish, for no.
33. Plants with purple bell-shaped flowers: FOXGLOVES. The scientific name, digitalis, means "finger". Has medicinal uses but is also very toxic to humans and other animals, and consumption can even lead to death.
34. Latin stars: ASTRA.
35. Though: YET.
37. Droop: SAG.
38. "Jeopardy!" champion Schneider: AMY. Winning 40 consecutive games on the quiz show Jeopardy! from November 2021 to January 2022, she holds the second-longest win streak in the program's history, behind only Ken Jennings, who hosted the show as she competed.
41. Early Democrat's adversary: WHIG. An American political party formed in the 1830s to oppose President Andrew Jackson and the Democrats. Whigs stood for protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements.
42. SERE. Dry or withered (especially of vegetation).
45. Sort (through): SIFT.
47. Stick in the water?: OAR.
49. B complex vitamin: NIACIN.
50. Long step: STRIDE.
52. Big fanfare: ECLAT. The word derives from French, where it can mean "splinter" (the French idiom voler en éclats means "to fly into pieces") as well as "burst" (un éclat de rire means "a burst of laughter"), among other things.
