Instant Messaging: I caught the I / M connection early on, but thought the unifier
would refer to Instant Messaging. Still, I'M DOWN with this puzzle,
since all the theme clues are in the down position and are two-word phases
where the first word begins withIand the second word begins withM.
3-Down. * "A Matter of Life and Death" heavy metal band: IRON MAIDEN. [Name adjacent.]
9-Down. * Ralph Ellison novel about the Black American
experience: INVISIBLE MAN. Invisible Man was first published in 1952. It was a debut
novel for Ralph Ellison (Mar. 1, 1914 ~ Apr. 16, 1994), for which he won the United States
National Book Award for Fiction in 1953. Ellison was the first
African-American writer to win this award. [Name # 1.]
22-Down. * Fencer seeking revenge in "The Princess Bride": INIGO MONTOYA. Mandy Patinkin (né Mandel Bruce Patinkin; b. Nov. 30, 1952) portrayed
Inigo Montoya in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride. [Name #
2.]
32-Down. * Noisy amenity in a motel hallway: ICE MACHINE. If you're in the market for one, you can learn about someone's list of top 10
commercial ice machines in the
below.
And the unifier:
53-Down. "Count me in!," or an apt description of the answers to the starred
clues: I'M DOWN!
Before we go any further, it's Mardi Gras, y'all! Catch the excitement
of the day and party down with this puzzle.
Across:
1. Opera solos: ARIAS.
6. Afrobeat pioneer Fela __: KUTI. Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (né Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; Oct. 15, 1938 ~ Aug. 2,
1997) was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is considered
the Father of Afrobeat, which is a combination of West African music with
American funk and jazz. Probably not a Tuesday name. [Name # 3.]
10. Atlas pages: MAPS.
14. Birdcage feature: PERCH.
15. Part of, as a plan: IN ON.
16. __ vera: ALOE. This is the Tuesday word. It has
now appeared in the last consecutive Tuesdays.
17. Creamy dip for French fries: AIOLI. This is a good
crossword word due to all the vowels. Everything you wanted to know
about Aioli, but didn't know to ask.
18. Attractive person with gray hair: SILVER FOX. This
probably applies to many of us on the blog, although I added a touch of pink
to my hair.
20. Anderson Cooper's channel: CNN. Anderson Hays Cooper (b.
June 3, 1967) is the son of the late Gloria Vanderbilt (Feb.. 20, 1924 ~ June
17, 2019). His book, Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, was actually quite good. [Name #4.]
21. Female sib: SIS. I have one.
23. Like some restrictions: DIETARY. If you are going to
serve alligator to your guests, you might want to ask if anyone has any
dietary restrictions first.
24. Pea soup flavorer: HAM BONE. This answer took me a while to
figure out. It's not kosher.
26. Hit the slopes: SKI.
27. Genesis twin: ESAU. The two brothers had a disagreement
of 37-Down proportions.
28. Many a Farsi speaker: IRANI. The Farsi, or
Persian, alphabet is based on the Arabic script.
31. Singer Simone: NINA. Nina Simone (née Eunice Kathleen
Waymon; Feb. 21, 1933 ~ Apr. 21, 2003) makes occasional guest appearances in
the crossword puzzles. [Name # 5.]
35. Hep "Gotcha": I DIG.
37. Scripture-related: BIBLICAL.
39. Perform a simple operation?: ADD.
41. Safe to drink: POTABLE. // And 43-Across. Org.
that ensures water is 41-Across: EPA. As in the Environmental Protection Agency.
44. No-win situations?: TIE GAMES.
46. Medical checkup: EXAM.
48. Singer Del Rey: LANA. I am not familiar with Lana Del
Rey (née Elizabeth Woolridge Grant; b. June 21, 1985). [Name # 6.]
49. Greek theater: ODEUM. Today's lesson in Ancient Greek.
51. Scandinavian people: SAMI. Everything you wanted to know
about the Sami people, but didn't know to ask. [Name adjacent.]
54. "Encanto" songwriter __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.
Encanto is an animated Disney film. Lin-Manuel
Miranda (b. Jan. 16, 1980) is best known for Hamilton. [Name # 7.]
56. Recorder mounted to a windshield: DASH CAM.
58. Dawn on: OCCUR TO.
62. Political org. with a donkey symbol: DNC. As in
the Democratic National Committee. Enough said.
63. Stashed: HID.
64. "I can be better": SHAME ON ME.
66. __ acid: AMINO.
68. Speech therapy subject: LISP.
69. Average gestation period for a dolphin: YEAR. Animals
with long gestation periods.
70. Button on a library app: RENEW.
71. Vow: OATH.
72. "This might be broken" shorthand: AS IS.
73. No-nonsense: STERN.
Down:
1. People of the southern Great Plains: APACHE. [Name
adjacent.]
2. Spanish queens: REINAs. Today's Spanish lesson. Hi,
Lucina! Can you name the top 10 most famous Spanish Queens?
4. Knee part, for short: ACL. As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. Definitely not a Tuesday clue and answer.
Apparently, it is easily injured.
5. Mint leaf used as a sushi garnish: SHISO. Hand up if you
knew about Shiso. We eat a lot of sushi, but I am not familiar with this mint leaf.
6. Mouth, slangily: KISSER.
7. Prefix with cycle: UNI-.
8. Ratted (on): TOLD.
10. "Dirty" cocktail: MARTINI.
11. Automaker __ Romeo: ALFA. Alfa Romeo is an Italian
luxury car maker, known for sports-oriented vehicles and car racing. The
company was founded in June 1910 and the name is an acronym for Anonima
Lombardi Fabbrica Automobili, which means Lombardian Car Factory. Romeo
was added to the name in 1915 after Nicola Romero (Apr. 28, 1879 ~ Aug. 15,
1938) took control of the company in 1915. [Name adjacent.]
12. Shoddy: POOR.
13. Erotic: SEXY.
19. Shriek of fear: EEK!
25. Future flower: BUD.
29. Demean: ABASE.
30. Quill tip: NIB.
33. Siesta: NAP.
34. In the style of: À LA.
36. Bitter brew, briefly: IPA. As in India Pale Ale.
38. Supervillain Luthor: LEX. The supervillain in the
comics. [Name # 8.]
39. Georgia airport: Abbr.: ATL. Formally known as the
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It is named after two
former Atlanta mayors: William Berry Hartsfield (Mar. 1, 1890 ~ Feb. 22, 1971)
and Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. (1938 ~ 2003). The former was a
six-term mayor and was in office in the late 1930s to the 1960s.
The latter served three terms in the 1970 and 1990s. [Name
adjacent.]
40. Part of una semana: DIA. More of today's Spanish lesson.
A day makes up a part of the week.
42. Actor Danson: TED. Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson,
III; b. Dec. 29, 1947) is probably best known for portraying Sam Malone on
Cheers, but did you known he was a model before he got into acting?
[Name # 9.]
45. Walk oafishly, like the Jabberwock slayer: GALUMPH.
Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll (né Charles Lutwidge Dodgson; Jan. 27, 1832 ~ Jan. 14, 1898). You can read it here.
47. Campfire residue: ASH.
50. Calf feeders: UDDERS.
52. Pine Tree State resident: MAINER. I thought we were
called Mainiacs.
55. Burning anger: IRE. A crossword staple.
57. Surgery marks: SCARS.
58. Norway's capital: OSLO.
59. __ seeds: smoothie choice: CHIA. Although they are
edible seeds, they also make good pets.
60. Assign to a role: CAST.
61. Small bills: ONES.
65. __ tai: cocktail: MAI. It's a cocktail made of rum,
Curçaco, orgeat syrup and lime juice. Here's one origin story.
sumdaze here. Today's puzzle comes to us from the desk of a well-known constructor, Bruce Venzke.
Our theme is:
Cat lovers will get this one.
We have 3 starred clues and a reveal. Demonstrating an extra touch of skill, all are 15-letter entries. Let's start with the reveal:
63 Across. Reason for a courtroom objection, and what the start of the answer to each starred clue has: LEADING QUESTION. a question that suggests the answer to the person being interrogated
Everybody conga!
Bruce is proposing we take the first word (the word in the 'lead') of each starred clue and add the word QUESTION to get a common phrase.
17 Across. *Sincere intention to be fair: GOOD FAITH EFFORT.
GOOD QUESTION.
27 Across. *One who can't help but see the bright side: ETERNAL OPTIMIST.
ETERNAL QUESTION. We can get pretty deep in this one. For many people, it boils down to, "What is the meaning of life?" Another version is posed by the great 21st century philosopher, W.A. Yankovic:
47 Across. *Private fashion consultant: PERSONAL SHOPPER.
PERSONAL QUESTION
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
HAL's tone gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Across: 1. Sport played on horseback: POLO. I liked last Thursday's clue, "Response heard during a pool game."
5. Make fun of: RAZZ.
9. Goes up: RISES.
14. Bibliography abbreviation: IBID.
Def.: in the same source (used to save space in textual references to a quoted work which has been mentioned in a previous reference).
15. Furniture chain that also sells lingonberry preserves: IKEA.
16. Feeling of existential boredom: ENNUI.
20. Sight or smell: SENSE. or taste or hearing or touch
21. Granny: NANA. CSO to all the Cornerite Grannies & NANAs!
22. Some Wall St. deals: LBOS. Street is abbreviated, so is Leveraged BuyOutS.
the acquisition of another company using a significant amount of borrowed money (bonds or loans) to meet the cost of acquisition.more from Investopedia
23. Joan of __: French heroine: ARC.
Jeanne d'Arc and the archangel Michael Eugene Thirion 1876
25. Pampering place: SPA.
36. Assignment for a swimmer or a bowler: LANE. a nod to a champion Monday blogger
38. Beat: TEMPO. music -- not an eggs or sports or exhaustion reference
39. Chicago winter hrs.: CST. Hours is abbreviated, so is Central Standard Time.
40. Central Pennsylvania city: ALTOONA. and 45 Across. Salad fish: TUNA.
Al TUNA mascot for the ALTOONA Curve (AA Minor League Baseball Team named for nearby Horseshoe Curve)
42. Luv: HON.
43. Go-to crew: A-TEAM.
46. Stud farm stud: SIRE.
50. Sunflower St. school: KSU. According to this Kansas State University website, Kansas ranks 4th in the U.S. in sunflower production.
51. __-pitch softball: SLO.
52. See 64-Down: FLOE. and 64 Down. With 52-Across, floating Arctic sheet: ICE.
penguins chillin' on an ICE FLOE
55. Biblical ark builder: NOAH. Need an ark? I NOAH guy.
59. Songs for two: DUETS. I used to own this bicycle for two. Twice the fun!!
66. Silly activity: ANTIC.
67. Red gemstone: RUBY.
Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town
I chose Mel Tillis' 1967 version because he wrote the song.
68. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.
69. "Let's Make a Deal" host Brady: WAYNE. He was brilliant on Whose Line is it Anyway? (4:24 min. clip)
70. Unworried state: EASE.
71. "Whoa, trippy!": DEEP.
Keanu Reeves played Ted in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).
Down: 1. Green animals in Angry Birds: PIGS. Fun clue!
Angry Birds is a 2016 animated movie based on a video game. (30 sec.)
2. Slender woodwind: OBOE. I suppose a saxophone would be a plump woodwind.
3. Zebra hunter: LION. Here is a clip from Madagascar (2005) where zoo friends learn about "going savage". (3:32 min.) Listen for the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom music at 3:10.
4. "There's a nonzero chance ... ": ODDS ARE. In Probability, if the chance is:
0 = impossible
1 = certain
There are an infinite number of numbers between 0 and 1.
5. Coastal inlet: RIA.
Types of Coastlines
6. Comparable (to): AKIN.
7. Oscar winner Catherine __-Jones: ZETA.
Captivating Catherine is a Welsh actress born 9/25/1969.
8. Journalist Paula: ZAHN.
Professional Paula has been in journalism for 50 years.
9. NFL official: REF.
10. Fill with passion: INFLAME.
11. __ appeal: SNOB.
12. Currency named for a continent: EURO.
13. Follows an obedience school command: SITS.
18. Houseplant with fronds: FERN. and 34 Down. 18-Down seed: SPORE.
This is my Boston fern. It is a happy plant.
19. Sunup direction: EAST.
24. Match a bet, in poker: CALL. to put chips in the pot to match the bet of another player
26. Bread served with hummus: PITA. I make sourdough PITAs with honey, flax seeds, and whole wheat flour. Here is a pic of them puffing up on my pizza stone.
27. Rock formation in Yosemite, familiarly: EL CAP. EL CAPitan stands over 3,000 ft. (914.4 metres) above the Yosemite Valley floor. Park visitors can enjoy vistas of its majesty from many locations. Talk about a granite countertop!
28. Have a spoonful, say: TASTE.
29. "The door's open!": ENTER. and 44 Down. Welcomed at the door: ASKED IN.
Here's a welcome mat for cruciverbalists!
30. Led Zeppelin's "Whole __ Love": LOTTA. This was the first track of their second album, Led Zeppelin II, released in 1969.
40. Songwriter Tori: AMOS. I only know her from XWDs.
41. Slangy turndowns: NAHS.
46. Mouthed (off): SPOUTED.
In 1937, Soda Springs, ID residents hoped for a swimming pool for the town. However, when drilling started, hot water shot out of the ground “to more than 45 feet in the air.” Now the town of less than 3,000 caps the geyser off and sets it to a timer for every hour during winter, every half hour during summer. The city claims it’s the only captive geyser in the world.
48. Former Georgia senator Sam: NUNN. This is his Congress.gov page.
49. Bygone GM line: OLDS. General Motors is truncated, so is OLDSmobile.
53. "Chocolat" actress Olin: LENA. "LNA" seems like a good answer, too.
54. Like Cheerios: OATY.
56. Mythical menace: OGRE.
57. Teal shade: AQUA.
Confused? They are both blue.
58. Busy airports: HUBS. United Airlines' North American HUBS are in Chicago, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles. With so many flights, it seems these HUBS have no caps!
60. Ireland, to the Irish: EIRE.
61. Heavy book: TOME. I am currently reading Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat. It weighs 2.72 lbs. (1.23 kilos).
62. Simple fastener: SNAP.
65. Potato spot: EYE. as in a famous spot for potatoes, Eye-da-ho!
Here's the grid:
I will end with a link to an Isaac Asimov 1956 short story entitled The Last Question.
