Themeless Saturday by Christopher Bolduc and Matthew Sewell
We have constructors here who have occupations that reflect every walk of life. Today we add that of an opera singer, Christopher Bolduc who is now based in Germany. He has performed at the Met and
Matt wrote of himself: I am a native of New York and a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Purchase College Conservatory of Music.
I have blogged six of Matt's previous Saturday themeless puzzles. Matt said: You can describe my job as being a professor of film and literature at Mankato State University. I've been doing administrative stuff in the dean's office for the last few years, but I'm resuming teaching in the fall.
Christopher said of Matt: Matt is a brilliant guy; always thinking outside the box. He's also patient and kind. It was a pleasure to work with him on this one!
Across:
1. Focus of a Stockholm museum whose slogan is "Walk In. Dance Out.": ABBA - One feature is to become the fifth member of the group and sing karaoke with ABBA images moving in the background.
5. Kindles: WHETS - Bakery aromas kindle a keen desire for goods to be 41. Taken in: EATEN.
10. Stock expert?: CHEF - 😀 Yes, a chef would prepare stock for a dish
14. Do the honors, so to speak: POUR - If you have an expensive vintage, it is probably an honor to POUR it
15. Luau performances: HULAS - It's always great to get a gimme.
16. It may wind up on a fire truck: HOSE - 😀 I love the "wind up" part of the clue
17. Porch pirate deterrent, hopefully: RING CAMERA.
19. Foot part: ARCH.
20. "So I'm out of the running?": IS THAT A NO?
21. Fermented paste: MISO - Miso is a Japanese traditional paste produced by fermenting soybean with fungus Aspergillus oryzae and salt, and sometimes with rice, wheat, or oats.
22. "Allez __ Bleus!": Coupe du Monde cry: LES - It literally means "Go Blues" for the French National Team who play for the Coupe du Monde or World Cup
. 23. Grammy: NANA.
24. Lose interest in: TIRE OF.
26. USN officer: CDR - The ENS and ADM stayed below deck
27. Phanerozoic __: EON - Yeah, I'm the only one who first put ERA.😏
28. R-V hookup?: STU - 😀 R S T U V
29. Question of motive: WHY EVEN BOTHER. 33. Iterative testing method: TRIAL AND ERROR.
34. Buy time?: SHOPPING SPREE 😀 A very fun use of the word "buy"
49. Very loud, in music: FORTISSIMO - A nice long gimme for me
50. Gender-neutral possessive: ONE'S.
51. Wide-ly read works?: TOMES - 😀 Fun cluing for an old crossword standard
52. Tub: SCOW - I associate this vessel with NYC garbage transporters
53. Some read-athon fundraising gps.: PTAS.
54. Bellyache: WHINE.
55. Drinks with steep prices?: TEAS 😀 Yes, TEA is usually steeped for drinking.
Down:
1. New Beer's Eve month: APRIL - April 7th is designated as National Beer Day so... I had no idea but a five-letter month starting with an "A" was pretty obvious.
2. Snake River tributary: BOISE.
3. Some sacrifices: BUNTS - The bunter gives herself up as she is usually thrown out to move a runner to the next base
4. Frustrated cry: ARGH - What this sacrifice bunter would say if she pops the ball up.
5. "Whew!": WHAT A RELIEF - Do you remember?
6. Like Peter Quill of the Guardians of the Galaxy, in part: HUMAN - He is said to be the progeny of a human and a "celestial" 🤔
7. Novelist Ferrante: ELENA - Elena uses a pseudonym for her novels and remains an anonymous Italian writer.
8. Oceanic staple: TARO - Mash these roots with steamed water and you have Hawaiian poi.
9. U.S. ID issuer: SSA - Grace D. Owen of Concord, NH got the first card from the SSA: 001-01-0001 in 1936.
10. Orchestra position: CHAIR - It's a coveted honor to be first CHAIR.
11. Classroom setup that facilitates group discussions: HORSESHOE.
12. Micromobility option: E-SCOOTER - In Lincoln, NE
13. Dismissive syllable: FEH - Not MEH it turns out
18. Red shade: CANDY APPLE - My dream car.
21. Spare parts?: MINOR ROLES - In honor of our dearly missed Boomer, I put MISSED PINS.
24. Exact words?: TO BE PRECISE - Well, what did you mean?
25. Faux __: FUR - Sure, I put PAS first
26. Unwanted crack in crackleware: CHIP - Ceramic ware with definite cracks in the glaze
27. Fades to black: ENDS - As the hero rides off into the sunset
29. Delusion: WRONG IDEA - Dr. Bailey had the WRONG IDEA about this crossword solve (a fun 2:21 video):
40. Physics Nobelist of 1938: FERMI - He and his team made the first self-sustaining atomic nuclear fission reaction which made the construction of the atomic bomb possible.
42. "The __ Network": Kate Quinn novel about women spies: ALICE.
43. Island nation whose flag features the Southern Cross: SAMOA - Bonus: The Southern Cross by CSN, a favorite of mine.
44. Is hip to: KNOWS.
46. Bear with a "Thotful Spot": POOH.
47. "C'mere!": PSST.
48. "Blue Bloods" extra: COP.
49. Celebratory initialism: FTW - If you knew the Alka Seltzer tag line, you probably know, "I'll take Barbara Eden FOR THE WIN."
Chairman Moe (Chris) is on vacation. Steve,
who used to guide us on Thursdays, will be covering for Chris the next
few weeks. Steve has been in Las Vegas for a conference, but he still
wrote his post. Reminds me of the old days when he completed his blog at
various airports. It's so nice to have you back, Steve!)
Theme: Eden Hazard
The reveal describes the theme much more neatly than I can:
58A. John Milton epic, and a hint to how four long answers in this puzzle were formed: PARADISE LOST.
Each of the theme entries drops the last letter of the original noun to form a punny new entry, and the dropped letters in order spell EDEN, hence "paradise" is "lost".
19A. Victory that has a real shine to it?: SPARKLING WIN(E).
29A. Environmental law that targets hair ties?: ELASTIC BAN(D).
37A. Fish that's only on an unofficial menu?: SECRET COD(E).
49A. Provide spiced tea?: SUPPLY CHAI(N).
Happy Friday! I loved the theme and the thematic entries of this puzzle. The new phrases formed from dropping the last letter are fun and clued nicely. I solved the puzzle basically clockwise starting at one o'clock and working my way around to midnight. On my first scan of the NW I didn't see anything obvious so moved on and around. A fun solve.
It looks like a first LAT collaboration from Josh and Katie, so congratulations if that's the case. Both have been published as individuals.
Let's see what else jumps out:
Across:
1. "Lord above!": OH GOD! I'm still getting used to what editor Patti will allow and Rich would not. C.C. can chime in here, but I'd have submitted "EGADS" as a fill to Rich and probably self-edited this one.
6. Mork's planet: ORK.
9. Pacific resort, popularly: CABO. Cabo San Lucas is probably the best known, but there are others, collectively known as Los Cabos.
13. Burning: FERVID. Word of the day for me
15. Mammal also called a scaly anteater: PANGOLIN. Weird looking dudes, sadly highly trafficked.
17. Seek refuge from: FLEE TO.
18. Electrify: ENERGIZE.
21. Unknowns: IFS. There are known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns according to Donald Rumsfeld. Quite astute.
22. Knee surgery target, for short: ACL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament. I often hear the middle word pronounced (or misunderstood to be) "crucial".
23. Hula or hora: DANCE.
27. "Ten __ Commandments": "Hamilton" song: DUEL. Maybe the theatrical experience is different, but I just couldn't get into the filmed performance on Disney+
33. Like a big sister: ELDER.
35. Yarn spinner: LIAR. I'd call a yarn spinner more of a storyteller, but your mileage may vary.
36. "Is there more to this story?": AND?
41. Boho-chic boot brand: UGG.
44. Wash and dice veggies, e.g.: PREP. If I'm short of time I buy my mirepoix ready prepped from the grocery store and I don't end up with most of a head of celery that I don't need or use.
45. __ Pole: NORTH.
53. iPhone assistant: SIRI.
54. Jia Tolentino piece: ESSAY. She's new to me - Jia's a staff writer at the New Yorker, author of the essay collection Trick Mirror and a screenwriter.
55. "I'm thinking ... ": HMM.
57. Set (down): PUT.
63. Painting featured in Marcel Duchamp's "L.H.O.O.Q.": MONA LISA. The famous mustachio'd painting. The title is a gramogram - when you pronounce the letters (using the french pronounciation) you get a phrase which begins "Elle a chaud ..." or "She has a hot ..." I'll leave you to look up the rest to protect the innocent.
66. Garbage tech: E-WASTE.
67. Shout from the rooftops: PROCLAIM.
68. One working in beta: TESTER.
69. SpongeBob's pet snail: GARY. Thank you, crosses. Never watched the show.
70. Drift off for a bit: NAP.
71. Closing documents: DEEDS.
Down:
1. Soccer ref's ruling: OFFSIDE. Cue lots of arguments. The Video Assistant Referee, or VAR, was introduced to attempt to reduce incorrect offside calls, but the micro-analysis of the relative positions of the players has generated more arguments than before.
2. Advantageous: HELPFUL.
3. Readied, as a baking pan: GREASED.
4. Roger follower, at times: OVER. And out.
5. Former Bears coach: DITKA. Da Bears! WWDD, or What Would Ditka Do?
6. Word in many tournament names: OPEN. I'm going to the US Open Golf Championship here in LA on Sunday. Look out for me at the 18th hole!
7. "You __?": RANG.
8. "Who __?": KNEW.
9. After-dinner brandy: COGNAC.
10. Wong of "Baby Cobra": ALI. Stand-up special from 2016. I know I watched it, don't recall a thing about it.
11. Profession, casually: BIZ.
12. Single: ONE.
14. Fellini's "La __ Vita": DOLCE. Classic 1960's Italian cinema.
16. Football field: GRIDIRON.
20. Green around the gills: ILL.
24. Org. with a February All-Star Weekend: NBA.
25. Coke holder: CAN.
26. Coda: END.
28. "__ Misèrables": LES.
30. First Hebrew letter: ALEPH.
31. "Stay" preceder, perhaps: SIT. My mind jumped to "The Loadout" which is the track which segues into "Stay" on Jackson Browne's classic album "Running on Empty". Here's my earworm music link for the day.
32. Tic-__-toe: TAC.
34. Email button to avoid when sharing office gossip: REPLY ALL.
38. Holler: CRY.
39. TiVo button: REC. Is TiVo still a thing? It feels like the world has moved on to built-in DVR in your cable box and streaming services.
40. __ Equis beer: DOS. Popular in Cabo.
41. Functionality: USE.
42. Director Van Sant: GUS.
43. Route-finding app: GPS.
46. Witty retort to an insult: RIPOSTE.
47. Put faith in: TRUSTED.
48. Baseball lineup: HITTERS. I'm not a baseball expert but do you have a lineup of hitters rather than batters?
50. Vatican City office: PAPACY.
51. Yellowfin tuna: AHI. Tuna + three-letter crossword entry = Ahi. This is starting to become one of those staple fills that may as well have been printed in the grid.
52. "No more for me, thanks": I'M SET.
56. Spoke Siamese?: MEWED. Cute.
59. "Poker Face" creator Johnson: RIAN. Streams on the Peacock service provided by my peeps NBCUniversal. I get a free subscription, which is rather nice.
60. China setting: ASIA.
61. Like a post-bath towel: DAMP.
62. Use a surgical beam: LASE.
63. Fuel efficiency letters: MPG. Miles Per Gallon. I just leased a new car, I'll be keeping a close eye on this over the first few weeks.
64. "You for Me" singer Rita: ORA.
65. Scand. land: NOR. Way. Here's a Scandinavian oddity that I love. When Sweden play Denmark in international soccer games, the scoreboard shows "SWE DEN" which is fun. What is more fun is that the dropped parts of the country names spell "DEN MARK". Cool, huh!
Time for me to hang up my blogging boots for the day. It's been a while, hope you all enjoyed the guest appearance. Thank you to C.C. for the invitation and thanks to Chris and MM for allowing me to borrow your regular slot!
Today's constructor is August Miller, a Massachusetts dairy farmer who is making his 11th appearance on the Corner, and is also an NYT puzzle veteran (sorry I couldn't find the name of his dog). Today he asks us the question* ...
Well the answer to that is obvious - it was our august constructor himself! Which of course leads to the further question ...
Where did he move it? ......
... and it will delight some that August has cleverly inserted slices of the stuff sans circlesin the following theme clues ...
28A. *"Star Wars" role for Oscar Isaac: POE DAMERON. I've fallen out of touch with this franchise, but apparently it's still going on in a galaxy far, far away. It seems that POEis a pretty intense guy and after reviewing several action videos I decided on this picture instead ...
54A. *Unwanted color fluctuations, in digital photography: CHROMA NOISE. DNK CHROMANOISE. Here's the ultimate guide digital photography noise reduction. Suffice it to say that adding romano cheese to your digital photos is not going help with this problem. Pecorino Romano
was a staple in the diet for the legionaries of ancient Rome. Today, it
is still made according to the original recipe and is one of Italy's
oldest cheeses. The name "pecorino" simply means "ovine" or "of sheep"
in Italian. Here are a few Pecorino Romano recipes.
Pecorino Romano
Just two weeks ago we had a puzzle about pastas. The following option didn't make the cut, but the reveal seems to indicate that Patti has a fondness for Italian cuisine, with just a touch of Greek and Dutch tossed in for good measure ...
33A. Ravioli option, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have?: CHEESE FILLING.
5. Flirt with a new hobby: DABBLE. I've flirted with many hobbies over the years. I'm currently DABBLING with cruciverbalism.
11. Sandwich initials: BLT.
14. Pianist Gilels: EMIL. EMIL Grigoryevich Gilels
(19 October 1916 – 14 October 1985) was a Russian pianist. He is widely
regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. Gilels is
universally admired for his superb technical control and burnished tone.
His repertoire ranged from Baroque to late Romantic and 20th century classical composers. Here he plays the Alexander Siloti transcription of Bach's Prelude in B Minor ...
15. Disinfectant brand: CLOROX.
16. __ de parfum: EAU. Here's a good reason for Google to integrate a scratch and sniff app into Blogger.
17. [Theme clue]
19. Space race?: ETS.
20. Stan Musial's nickname: THE MAN. Stanley Frank Musial
(born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial; November 21, 1920 – January 19,
2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American baseball outfielder and
first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most
consistent hitters in baseball history, Musial spent 22 seasons in Major
League Baseball (MLB), playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1941
to 1944 and from 1946 to 1963, before becoming a first-ballot inductee
into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
Stan "The Man" Musial
21. Tile type: CERAMIC. I don't recommend CERAMIC tile for floors in kitchens, as the hard surface is sure to break any glass or ceramic kitchen ware dropped on it.
Ceramic
tiles were widely used in decorative applications dating back to the
ancient world, e.g. this fragment of a 5th Century floor mosaic from
Antioch:
While
we tend to think of tiles as flat-surfaced, they may also be cast in
bas-relief, such as these tiles mounted on an oak plank, depicting the EvangelistsMatheus, Marcus, Lucas, and Iohanni created at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, PA ...
26. Colleague of Sonia and Ketanji: ELENA. Elena Kagan is one of the 4 women Supreme Court Justices and a colleague of Sonia Sotomayor, Amy Coney Barrett, and Katanji Brown Jackson:
Elena Kagan
27. Great Basin people: UTES. The UTE people
are the oldest residents of Colorado, inhabiting the mountains and vast
areas of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Eastern Nevada, Northern New Mexico
and Arizona. According to tribal history handed down from generation to
generation, their people have lived here since the beginning of time.
Members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe
28. [Theme clue]
30. Start of an early Grafton title: B IS. B Is for Burglar is a mystery novel by American writer Sue Grafton.
It was published in 1985 by Henry Holt and Company as the second novel
in her "Alphabet" series of mystery novels. The plot centers around the
efforts of Kinsey Millhone, a private eye based in Santa Teresa, California, to locate a missing person. Critical reception was positive, and it won the 1986 Anthony Award and Shamus Award. Here's the first edition cover ...
When EOS is in the clue we now have three possibilities.
42. [Theme clue]
46. John Irving title character: GARP. The World According to Garp is John Irving's
fourth novel, about a man, born out of wedlock to a feminist leader,
who grows up to be a writer. Published in 1978, the book was a
bestseller for several years. It was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1979, and its first paperback edition won the Award the following year. It was also the basis for this film starring Robin Williams, John Lithgow, Glenn Close. and assorted other stars you know ... 47. Less amiable: ICIER.
48. Letters between names: AKA.
49. "__ and Bess": PORGY. I know it's almost Summertime, but I've already played that aria at least twice, but it ain't necessarily the whole story (lyrics) ...
50. Superficial: CURSORY.
52. Expired: LAPSED.
53. Self-conscious query: AM I.
54. [Theme clue]
57. Homey hole: DEN.
58. Big name in single-serve coffee makers: KEURIG. Not my cup of tea.
59. Durian feature: ODOR. Apparently an acquired ODOR. Maybe a scratch and sniff feature for Blogger isn't such a good idea after all.
Durian Fruit
60. Filmmaker Lee: ANG. Ang Lee OBS (born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese
filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated
in Taiwan and later in the United States. As a filmmaker Lee's work is
known for its emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden
emotions. His work seems pretty eclectic, and includes Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi for which Lee won Oscars, and also Sense and Sensibility based on the Austen novel. Teri and I streamed Life of Pi on Prime just before I finished this review. It's a hauntingly beautiful, remarkable film, which I highly recommend ...
61. Lively Brazilian dances: SAMBAS. I doubt that it gets any livelier than this (straight from Ohio) ...
62. Swampy areas: FENS. And now for a little change of pace ... on this side of the Pond they're called bogs or marshes, but on the other side they're found In the Fen Country, the title of a beautiful tone poem by Ralph Vaughan Williams: Down:
1. Barbecue supply: MEAT RUB. Also called a DRY RUB. Here's a recipe for for seasoning that crossword favorite, Carne Asada ...
Carne Asada Dry Rub
2. Stressed: EMPHATIC.
3. Deer fencing material: WIRE MESH. We use a BLACK PLASTIC MESH,
which comes in 300' x 7.5' rolls which were enough for an 80' x 50' x
8' enclosure around our vegetable garden. It also requires posts and
gates and is user installable. The black color makes it almost
transparent to passers by in the street out front. The downside is that
rabbits can chew through it and we ended up having to install 18" of chicken wire all around the perimeter. The chicken wire didn't keep out ground hogs, but we dealt with them on a need to know basis ...
5. Glue trap brand: DCON. Rumor has it that PETA doesn't like them.
6. Secondary RPG character: ALT. In role-playing games (RPGs), an alternate character, often referred to in slang as ALT, altchar, or less commonly multi, is a character in addition to one's "primary" or "main" player character. Here are the rules.
7. Droid: BOT. Since the Star Wars space operas we tend to think of Droids or BOTS as human-like machines. Computer scientists extend the term machine to include anything automated, including "intelligent" software programs, such as the currently much-hyped chatGPT and its ilk. Here is a very accessible article on this topic from the journal IEEE Spectrum by pioneering robotics engineer named Rodney Brooks, entitled Just Calm Down About GPT-4 Already.
8. Prepared (oneself), as for a shock: BRACED. BRACE yourself - there are 26 more clues to go.
9. Oral tradition: LORE. Many equate the terms "oral tradition" and "LORE"
with fables. Some of these "fables" may have had their origins in
stories about real events from eons past. No "unbiased" observer was
taking notes on all the details at the time, so we don't know how much
of them to believe. But parts of some of them may be true.
10. Very: EXTREMELY.
11. High-end wheels, informally: BEEMER. Formally, automobiles manufactured by the Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, (BMW), a multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
The company was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines,
which it produced from 1917 to 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.
12. Spanglish speaker, often: LATINO. Also LATINA and LATINX.
13. "Under the __ Sun": Frances Mayes memoir set in Italy: TUSCAN. Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy is a 1996 memoir by American author Frances Mayes. It was adapted by director Audrey Wells for the 2003 film Under the Tuscan Sun, starring Diane Lane.
We streamed this comedy recently and really enjoyed it. If you like
Italy, I think you'll like this film. Here's a trailer ...
18. "__ you not?": CAN.
22. Soccer Hall of Famer Lalas: ALEXI. Not to be confused with ALEXA, Google's Android BOT, Panayotis Alexander Lalas
(Greek: Αλέξης Λάλας; born June 1, 1970) is an American retired soccer
player who played mostly as a defender. Lalas is best known for his
participation with the United States men's national soccer team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup,
where he was a standout player on the team with his distinctive long
beard and hair. After the World Cup, Lalas went on to become the first
American in Italy's Serie A as a member of Calcio Padova. He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006. He is also in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
Alexi Lalas
24. Goo: OOZE. See 4D.
25. Fairies and sprites, quaintly: WEE FOLK. I think these folks are definitely fables. But then have you heard about Homo floresiensis?
29. Country record?: ATLAS. Nice misdirection. I really I had my heart on playing a soulful country song. Sittin' on Top of the World (from the 2003 film Cold Mountain) is really old timey music (but it is very soulful and sad) and I decided to play it instead ...
42. Noisy bug: CICADA. I was disappointed the last time they visited. It's not likely I'll be disappointed again.
43. Shrewdness: ACUMEN.
44. Process after glazing: FIRING. There have been many books
written on this subject. The process has to take into account a lot of
factors, the two most important being the firing cycle and the atmosphere in the kiln. The follow graph shows the kiln temperature rise and fall over time, which can be controlled either manually or via a computer. Potters use temperature only as a rough guide to where they are in the firing cycle. They use the deformation of specially formulated clay pyrometric cones (observed through spy holes) to measure the exact amount of heat work
(a factor of both temperature and time) needed to melt the glazes. The
following firing cycle shows a kiln fired to "Cone 10", approximately
1300 deg. C (the high point on the graph below). Once the "firing cone"
has bent it is important to slow the cooling of the kiln for several hours until all of the non-shiny matt glazes have matured. Note also that the temperature rise at the beginning and the fall at the end should not be too rapid so as to prevent the clay body from cracking.
The kiln's atmosphere depends on whether it is being fired with electricity or a fossil fuel such as wood, coal, oil, or gas. Electric kilns are said to have an oxidizing atmosphere as there is no carbon or hydrogen in the kiln to interact with the glazes (not very interesting). Fuel fired kilns have a reducing atmosphere, with abundant carbon gases and hydrogen, which can interact with the glazes to reduce the amount of oxygen in the glaze colorants like iron and copperoxides. Reduction fired glazes tend to be much more interesting, producing glazes like the celadon greens and copper reds (sang de boeuf) first developed by the Chinese in the 12th Century.
45. Distillate used as an aftershave: BAY RUM. BAY RUM
is a type of cologne and aftershave lotion. It is a distillate that
was originally made in Saint Thomas, and probably other West Indian
islands, from rum and the leaves and/or berries of the West Indian bay tree, Pimenta racemosa.
46. Vanish just like *that*: GO POOF. Like the Slimer in Ghost Busters.
49. Unfavorable review: PAN.
51. Seehorn of "Better Call Saul": RHEA. Better Call Saul is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. It is a spin-off from Gilligan's previous series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013), to which it serves as both a prequel and sequel. Better Call Saul
premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015, and concluded on August 15, 2022,
after six seasons consisting of 63 episodes. Saul Goodman was played
by Robert Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn played Kim Wexler, Saul's colleague and love interest. Here she gives some tips on how to negotiate like a pro ...
52. Doesn't keep up: LAGS.
55. Sphere atop a wizard's staff, e.g.: ORB. The ORB and a staff called the SCEPTRE are also symbols of the British Monarchy. These symbols were celebrated with Sir William Walton's Orb and Sceptre March during the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 ...
56. Soccer star Hamm: MIA. Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra (née Hamm; born March 17, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion.
Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the United States
women's national soccer team from 1987 to 2004. Hamm was the face of the
Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional women's soccer league in the United States, where she played for the Washington Freedom from 2001 to 2003.
Mia Hamm
Cheers, Bill
As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading, for
her constructive criticism.
37. Route to a showing of "Jaws"?: GREAT WHITE WAY.
53. Route to basketball camp?: PASSING LANE.
60. Route to the liquor store?: FIFTH AVENUE.
Melissa here. Each theme answer describes a location - or where you might be if you followed the route in the clue. This appears to be Lempel's debut at the corner - congratulations! Except for the theme answers, the grid is filled with mostly short words. Made for a pretty quick solve - but I did need perps for some of the southeast.
Across:
1. "Sheer Driving Pleasure" automaker: BMW.
4. "A Little Bit Stronger" singer Sara: EVANS. Country.
22. Prof's URL ender: EDU. Academia - websites and email domains typically end with .edu.
23. CPR pro: EMT.
28. Chowed down: ATE.
30. Bubbly bar supply: SELTZER. Fizzy water sure has gotten popular in the past 5+ years. So many brands and flavors. I remember when Perrier in the green glass bottle was the only choice.
31. Oscar winner Poitier: SIDNEY. Just passed away in January of 2022 at the age of 94.
42. Experts who deal with stress?: POETS. Angela Gibson is one of my favorites.
43. Fallon's predecessor: LENO. Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno - The Tonight Show.
44. Discarded stuff: JETSAM. One of those words I've only seen in crosswords and books.
46. Lay in store for: AWAITED. Sounds ominous.
52. Pre-1991 atlas initials: SSR. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 1922–91.
56. Brit's washroom: LOO. Gimme.
58. Scoundrel: RAT. Alan Watts called it “The Element of Irreducible Rascality.”
59. Hold the throne: REIGN.
64. Many a dad joke: PUN. Groan.
65. Musical set in Argentina: EVITA.
66. Conjure up: EVOKE.
67. Yalie: ELI.
68. Back at the track: BET ON. Nice clue - back as in sponsor or support.
69. Worked with thread: SEWED.
70. Uncertainties: IFS.
Down:
1. Legal filings: BRIEFS.
2. Group's level of enthusiasm: MORALE.
3. Untrustworthy type: WEASEL.
4. Like a poor copy: ERSATZ. Just like 44a, only seen in books and crosswords.
5. Fight (for): VIE.
6. Busy time for the IRS: APR. The deadline to file your federal tax returns is the fourth month after your fiscal year ends, day 15, so usually April 15. If day 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the due date is delayed until the next business day. Your return is considered filed on time if your envelope is properly addressed, postmarked and deposited in the mail by the due date.
7. "When pigs fly!": NEVER. I heard Flo's voice (from Alice) in my head but that was donkeys.
8. Derisive: SNIDE.
9. Top typically paired with jeans: TEE.
10. Fabled procrastinator: HARE. From The Tortoise and The Hare.
11. Narcissist's attribute: EGOMANIA. I can't think of one example.
12. Excessive praise: FLATTERY.
13. Brother of pols Jack and Bobby: TED. Kennedy.
19. Stage signals: CUES.
21. However: YET.
25. Nonorthodox religious group: SECT.
26. Fishing net: TRAWL. A buoyed line used in sea fishing, having numerous short lines with baited hooks attached at intervals.
27. Carpet alternative: TILE.
29. Iris locale: EYE. Eyeball.
32. Big name in chemicals: DOW.
34. Cow or sow: SHE.
35. Africa-to-Asia land bridge: SINAI.
37. Starts streaming, say: GOES LIVE.
38. Equip with new parts: RETROFIT. To install, fit, or adapt (a device or system) for use with something older: to retrofit solar heating to a poorly insulated house.
39. Arrivals in "Arrival": ETS.
40. "Quickly" letters: ASAP. As soon as possible.
41. Word with hall or house: TOWN.
42. Comfy attire: PJS. Pajamas.
45. Rooney of "Carol": MARA. Carol is a 2015 movie starring Cate Blanchett. Rooney won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role as aspiring photographer Therese Belivet.
47. Consented: AGREED.
48. __-de-France: Paris's region: ILE. Île-de-France is 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.
49. Asian capital with a Chiang Kai-shek memorial: TAIPEI. Kai-shek was the head of the Nationalist government in China from 1928 to 1949 and subsequently head of the Chinese Nationalist government in exile on Taiwan. National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a popular tourist attraction.
50. Swallow up: ENGULF.
51. "The Unit" actor Haysbert: DENNIS.
54. Reliever's successes: SAVES. Baseball. A save is awarded to the relief pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team, under certain circumstances.
55. Martin of "Only Murders in the Building": STEVE. Anyone watching this?
57. "Beetle Bailey" dog: OTTO. Sgt. Snorkel's anthropomorphic, look-alike bulldog whom Sarge dresses up the same as himself, in an army uniform.
60. Black History mo.: FEB.
61. "To All the Boys" series creator Jenny: HAN. Did not know this.
We have constructors here who have occupations that reflect every walk of life. Today we add that of an opera singer, Christopher Bolduc who is now based in Germany. He has performed at the Met and 
I have blogged six of Matt's previous Saturday themeless puzzles. Matt said: You can describe my job as being a professor of film and literature at Mankato State University. I've been doing administrative stuff in the dean's office for the last few years, but I'm resuming teaching in the fall.
.jpg)
.svg.png){kind=logo}
