23-Across. * Kits that include pots for melting cheese or
chocolate: FONDUE SETS. DUES. Fondue Sets were common wedding gifts in the '70s, or so I'm told.
38-Across. * 1933 comedy starring Marie Dressler and John
Barrymore: DINNER AT EIGHT.
RATE. This movie came out a little before my time. Although I had
heard of John Barrymore (né John Sidney Blyth; Feb. 1882 ~ May 29, 1942), who
was the grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore (née Drew Blythe Barrymore; b.
Feb. 22, 1975), but Marie Dressler (née Leslie Marie Koerber; b. Nov. 9,1868 ~
July 28 1965) is a new name for me. The movie is a comedic drama about
an ambitious New York socialite and her husband. She planned an
extravagant dinner party while her husband was having financial issues.
As in any marriage, this caused a lot of tension between the couple.
50-Across. * Ingredient amount in a recipe for paella or
risotto: ONE CUP RICE. PRICE.
And the unifier:
57-Across. Unexpected charges, and a feature of the answers to the starred
clues: HIDDEN FEES.
This is our second week in a row to have Susan Gelfand prepare our Tuesday
puzzle. What else did she hide from us?
Across:
1. Skyline obscurer: SMOG.
Can you name this city?
5. Slight fabrications: FIBS.
9. Lengthy exam answer: ESSAY.
14. Afghanistan's __ Bora region: TORA. Tora Bora is a cave complex in eastern Afghanistan near the border of Pakistan.
15. Wrinkle remover: IRON.
16. Teatime treat: SCONE. Yummers!
17. Condo division: UNIT.
20. Liberated: FREED.
22. Meaner than mean: CRUEL.
Cruella De Ville
26. Verdi opera about an African princess: AIDA.
Aida is a popular tragic opera by Giuseppe Verdi (né Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi; Oct. 9, 1813
~ Jan. 27, 1901) that is set on the old Kingdom of Egypt. It premiered
in Cairo in December 1871. The 1998 musical Aida by
Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight; b. Mar. 25, 1947) and Tim Rice (né
Timothy Miles Bindon Rice; b. Nov. 10, 1944) is based on Verdi's opera.
30. As of now: YET.
31. Rodent that followed the Pied Piper: RAT.
32. Finalized, as a deal: SEWN UP.
34. Relishes: SAVORS.
37. Indiana NBA player: PACER. Why the name Pacer, you ask.
41. Treasury secretary Yellen: JANET. Janet Louise Yellen
(b. Aug. 13, 1946) is the 78th United States Secretary of the Treasury.
She has held that Office since January 26, 2021. Prior to that she
was the Chair of the Federal Reserve.
42. __ Berry Farm: Southern California amusement park: KNOTTS.
43. High regard: ESTEEM.
45. "Let's call __ day": IT A.
46. Heat in the microwave: ZAP.
49. Norse god of thunder: THOR. Everything you ever wanted
to know about this Norse god but didn't know to ask.
54. Barnett of CBS News: ERROL. Errol Barnett (b. Apr. 3, 1983), is a British-born news anchor and correspondent for
CBS News.
56. Therefore: HENCE.
62. Over again: ANEW. A crossword staple.
63. Relating to birds: AVIAN.
64. Rights org. since 1920: ACLU. As in the American Civil Liberties Union. The organization was founded to protect the constitutional rights of
Americans. One of its earliest cases was the so-called Monkey Trial, which challenged Tennessee's law banning the teaching of evolution.
2. "Some Like It Hot" star Marilyn: MONROE. Marilyn Monroe
(née Norma Jean Mortenson; June 1, 1926 ~ Aug. 4, 1962) portrayed Sugar
Kowalczyk, a singer, who befriended Tony Curtis (né Bernard Schwartz; June 3,
1925 ~ Sept. 29, 2010) and Jack Lemmon (né John Uhler Lemmon, III; Feb. 8,
1925 ~ June 27, 2001), who were disguised as women to escape from mafia
gangsters.
3. Get situated: ORIENT.
4. Like some private communities: GATED.
5. In shape: FIT.
6. Nest egg letters: IRA. As in Individual Retirement Account.
7. Italian bowling game: BOCCE.
8. Pig sound: SNORT.
9. East, in Spanish: ESTE. Today's Spanish lesson.
10. Rascals: SCALAWAGS. Fun word. After the Civil War, however, the word became pejorative term for a
white Southerner who supported the federal plan of Reconstruction or who
joined with black freedmen and the so-called carpetbaggers in support of
Republican Party policies.
11. Prodigal __: SON. A Biblical reference.
12. "Wait, there's more": AND.
13. "You bet!": YES.
19. Figure (out): SUSS.
21. Vaudeville legend Jimmy: DURANTE. Jimmy Durante (né
James Francis Durante; Feb. 10, 1893 ~ Jan. 29, 1980) was known for his
gravelly voice and his big nose, which he lovingly referred to as
his Schnozzola.
24. Roof edge: EAVE.
25. Bird on birth announcements: STORK.
27. Snowfall accumulation unit: INCH.
28. Song for two: DUET.
29. Tax-paying mo.: APR.
33. Words set in stone?: EPITAPH.
34. Looked down on: SNEERED AT.
35. Competed in a sprint, say: RAN. // Ane 38-Down:
Sprinter's race: DASH.
36. Unflappable: STOIC.
39. Enamored of: INTO.
40. Caesar's rebuke: ET TU. Today's Latin lesson. A
phrase that literally means "and you". Most famously seen as "Et tu,
Brute?" supposedly the last words of Julius Caesar after he had been stabbed
by his friend Brutus.
41. Airport arrival: JET.
44. Eve's opposite: MORN. Nice misdirection. Eve isn't
a person, but the evening.
46. Colorful annual: ZINNIA. Beautiful and colorful flowers.
47. Regional manner of speech: ACCENT. Here's the Downeast
Accent.
48. Baseball Hall of Famer Reese: PEE WEE. Pee Wee Reese (né
Harold Peter Henry; July 23, 1918 ~ Aug. 14, 1999) played shortstop for the
Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers. He is also known for befriending and
supporting his teammate, Jackie Robinson (né Jack Roosevelt Robinson; Jan. 31,
1919 ~ Oct. 24, 1972) when Robinson broke the color barrier into baseball's
major leagues. He got his nickname from playing in marble competitions as a child. A Pee-Wee is a
small marble. Not to be confused with Pee Wee Herman the alter ego of
Paul Reubens (Aug. 28, 1952 ~ July 30, 2023), who recently died of cancer.
51. Like some lean dairy products: NO-FAT.
52. Put into office: ELECT.
53. Domain: REALM.
55. Landlord's income: RENT.
57. "A likely story!": HAH!
58. Climbing vine: IVY.
59. Day in Durango: DIA. Today's Spanish lesson.
60. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO. The band's full name
is Electric Light Orchestra.
61. "How's it goin'?": 'SUP.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
Notes from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Steve, who guided us faithfully for many years on
Thursdays and pinched in a few times the past few months. Hope it's special there in L.A.
Today we remember those who lost their lives as a result of the four, coordinated terrorist attacks
that occurred on the morning of September 11, 2001. The victims represented 93 nations.
This is a link to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York, NY.
And now on to today's puzzle....
Theme: Nice ABs!
We'll begin with the reveal then have a look at the referenced clues.
61 Across. First leg of a journey, and a description of 20-, 30-, 38-, and 49-Across: FROM A TO B.
All of the answers to the themed clues are two-word phrases that begin with the letter A and end with the letter B.
20 Across. Pitchfork-wielding crowd: ANGRY MOB.
Let's hope they can be dissuaded by a minister wearing an AlB.
30 Across. Group that may arrange a class reunion: ALUMNI CLUB.
Perhaps they'll put on a performance where they can AdliB.
38 Across. Tech user who will only use Macs: APPLE SNOB.
Such a person might come across as overly AplomB.
49 Across. Part of speech that conveys doing: ACTION VERB.
Not to be confused with an AdverB.
Next, we'll AbsorB the other 70 clues:
Across: 1. Helps with a crime: ABETS. In this first clue, we go from A to B in just one step. Foreshadowing???
6. Capture: SNAG.
10. __ Lee desserts: SARA.
14. Actress Zellweger: RENÉE. She won Oscars and BFTAs for Cold Mountain (2004) and Judy (2020). I will always love her for Bridget Jones's Diary (2001).
Bridget introduces Mr. Fitzherbert (2 min.)
15. Work very hard: TOIL.
16. Greek Cupid: EROS.
EROS has a quiver filled with arrows.
17. Mother, in Madrid: MADRE.
18. Italy's capital: ROME. Google says MADRE is also 'mother' in ROME. Is that correct?
19. Sitting on: ATOP. Did you realize that the letter "a" in ATOP is a prefix? This link goes to a transcript of Grammar Girl's August 22, 2023 podcast The Wonders of the 'a-' prefix in English (Episode 942). Inquisitive minds will be clicking.
26. Georgia home of the Tubman Museum: MACON. website
28. FDR coin: DIME.
34. South American country where Paddington Bear was born: PERU. It turns out that PERU, South America's 3rd largest country, is its only 4-letter country.
Try making a list of all the 4-letter countries in the world then check your answers here. (Hint: Only two are in the Western Hemisphere.)
36. Slimy garden pest: SLUG. Organic gardening tip: Hand-pick your SLUGs then put them in an exposed place where they will attract birds to your garden but is too far for them to slither back to your plants. The birds will now know to help you with future pests.
37. List-shortening abbr.: ETC. Ironically, ETC means the list continues on.
42. Bad-mouth: DIS. slang, to DISrespect and 4 Down. Region: Abbr.: TERR. TERRitory and 23 Down. Informal "Holy cow!": OMIGOD.
45. Title of respect: MA'AM.
46. Medical pros: DOCS. "PROfessionalS" is abbreviated, so is "DOCtorS".
53. "That was close!": WHEW.
55. Considers to be: DEEMS. Def: to come to think or judge.
56. Battery size: AAA.
58. Obamacare, for short: ACA. Affordable Care Act
59. Shipping container: CRATE.
63. Bell hit with a padded mallet: GONG. Time for some music! You can hear two GONG strokes in the beginning and a couple more later on.
The Bangles Walk Like an Egyptian (released 1986)
We do not see the GONG; but, then again, we do not see anyone actually playing a guitar.
The dancing is fun, though.
64. Solving aid: CLUE. not so much on Saturdays....
A 4-letter 'solving aid' on Saturdays is GARY, as in Husker Gary. 😀
66. Sports complex: ARENA. How do you find the area in ARENA? Erase the "N".
Actually, it is almost that easy. If the ARENA is an oval (ellipse), you can calculate the area of the ARENA this way:
67. French fashion magazine: ELLE. Zendaya is on this month's cover.
68. Cat's warning: HISS. I'm currently reading Haley Mill's memoir, Forever Young. With that on my mind, this clue makes me think of the Disney classic, That Darn Cat! Here is a fun retro-review. 69. Heaps: SCADS. From etymonline: (noun) "large amounts," 1869, American English, earlier "a dollar" (1855, usually in plural), a word of uncertain origin. Unknown connection to scad, the fish, which, along British coasts, were often very abundant and occasionally seen in immense shoals.
70. Slow Churned ice cream brand: EDY'S.
71. Send packing: OUST. and 12 Down. Eradicate, as corruption: ROOT OUT. See 20A.
72. Admonition in a train's quiet car: SHUSH.
Down: 1. Actor Assante: ARMAND. Born October 4, 1949. He's one of those actors you might not know until you see him. Then you say, "Oh, yeah, that guy." his IMDb page
2. Party bowlful with tortilla chips: BEAN DIP. "Salsa" was too short. "Guacamole" was too long. Fritos might be the "traditional pairing".
3. Final stages of a chess match: ENDGAME. the last few moves you make in a strategic game, like chess or backgammon
5. "Later, gator": SEE YA. I like to say "Later, gator" to DH because he's a UF grad.
6. Recreational walk: STROLL.
7. Beginner, in gaming slang: NOOB. Anon T said to use zero's for the O's to trick the BOTs.
8. Ultimate goal: AIM.
9. Narrow valley: GLEN.
10. Washington airport named for two cities, familiarly: SEATAC. SEAttle and TAComa
11. Newspaper piece: ARTICLE.
13. Dangerous Egyptian snake: ASP.
21. "Mamma __!": musical featuring ABBA songs: MIA. It ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2013. This is a montage of scenes and songs: 27. TV network that owns the Peacock streaming service: NBC.
NBC's logo is a peacock.
29. Chunk of time: ERA.
31. "I can help": USE ME.
32. L.A. Galaxy's org.: MLS. Major League Soccer
33. Convent resident: NUN. CSO to Lucina!
35. Loftiest: UPMOST. Def: (adjective) uppermost.
39. Bad review: PAN. Do we really want to open this door?
40. Loo: LAV. Both are Britishisms for restroom/washroom.
41. Gift box topper: BOW.
42. Familial source of corny jokes: DAD.
43. Like a frosty beverage: ICE COLD. Do you remember these A&W Root Beer commercials?
44. In a no-nonsense manner: STERNLY.
47. French manor house: CHATEAU. Do we have any Dick & Angela fans on The Corner?
Escape to the Chateau (40 sec. preview)
48. Additional helping at a meal: SECONDS. servings, not staff
50. Mental pictures: IMAGES.
51. Least common: RAREST.
52. Steamed dumpling: BAO. C.C. taught us this in her April 23, 2023 blog:
Actually "baozi". No one says "bao" alone in China. Cha siu bao, Xiaolongbao, etc. So so good.
54. Terre Haute's river: WABASH. Terre Haute is in western Indiana. Here is a USGS PDF leaflet from 1981 about the WABASH river. It lists the river as 475 miles (764.4 km) long.
57. Gather: AMASS. Catholics gather for A MASS on Sunday mornings.
60. Reverberate: ECHO.
61. Hubbub: FUSS.
I liked both of these and could not choose. The first one is a bit hard to read. It says,
"This one's from you know who, so make a fuss and thank him."
62. St. Louis landmark: ARCH.
63. "__ willikers!": GEE.
65. Actor Simu who plays Shang-Chi: LIU.
Simu Liu is a Canadian actor. He was born on April 19, 1989 in Harbin, China. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a Marvel movie released in 2021.
Here's the grid:
A lot of bafflegaB? (15 letters)
I hope not! I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this one.
Wishing everyone a good week!
Notes from C.C.:
Happy birthday to dear Husker Gary, our creative and faithful
Saturday sherpa, who has saved me a thousand times with his fun and unexpected
clues and titles. Hope it's a lovely day for some family time, Gary!
116. Beethoven piano classic: (MOO)N LIGHT SONATA. Moonwalk.
OK I'll copy and paste what Will Shortz wrote here: "Meghan Morris is an appellate public defender in Denver, where she lives
with her partner and twin kindergarteners. She got into crosswords at
the University of North Carolina, where she did them in The Daily Tar
Heel."
Congrats
on your LAT debut, Meghan! Very creative and consistent theme. And
entries and key words are symmetrically placed, this is not always the
case with this type of theme.
Across:
1. Jury makeup: PEERS.
6. "Look after yourself": BE SAFE Always listen to Agnes!
12. Took steps: ACTED.
17. Good for farming: FERTILE.
19. Los __, New Mexico: ALAMOS.
20. Moan and groan: WHINE.
21. Nuclear power sources: REACTORS.
23. Some digital watches: CASIOS. I think I got first one in 1987. Quite a rage then.
24. Actress Sykes: WANDA. Do you think she's funny?
27. Uno y uno: DOS.
29. Tater: SPUD.
30. Child's pose, e.g.: ASANA. Ask sumdaze about anything yoga-related. Or running. Or swimming. She's just amazing, Vidwan!
31. Watched: EYED.
33. Graphics that typically have AK and HI as insets: US MAPS.
35. City with Heat and Hurricanes: MIAMI.
39. __ Fridays: TGI.
40. Jaded sort: CYNIC.
42. "Sorry, lassie": NAE.
48. Devotee of Jah: RASTA.
50. Perkins known as the "King of Rockabilly": CARL.
51. Apartment divs.: RMS.
52. Currency of 94-Across: EURO. 94. Continental gp.: THE EU.
53. Shakespearean king: LEAR.
55. Christina of "Yellowjackets": RICCI.
57. None: ZERO.
58. Splotchy garment: SMOCK.
61. Steeped drink: TEA. And
68. Pub pints: ALES.
70. Opener: INTRO.
72. Italian peak: ALP.
73. Unhittable serve: ACE.
74. Hunts, with "on": PREYS.
75. French silk: SOIE. Also 108. Pâté de __ gras: FOIE. 9. French pal: AMI. 66. "Vous êtes __": French map phrase: ICI.
81. Pool float filler: AIR. Guess what my sweet neighbor at 5507
told me last week when I told her about the relentless weed smell from
the 5501 renters? She smokes marijuana also, my God! No wonder I can't
even enjoy baths. The bathroom is just so weedy. My air filter was red
for 2 hours yesterday morning. Some bad air probably comes from the 5505
pot user.
82. Immune system component: T CELL.
84. New York canal: ERIE.
85. Library IDs: ISBNS.
87. Pollen pouches: SACS.
89. Signify: MEAN.
90. Visual communication syst.: ASL.
92. Depose: OUST.
101. Guys: HES. And 67. Guys: MEN. 86. Laddie: BOYO.
102. Australian greetings: G-DAYS.
104. Big name in gourmet pasta sauce: RAO. Never used this. Good?
4. Walgreens rival: RITE AID. Do you guys use arnica gel? I
bought this a few years ago to help Boomer with his pain and bruises.
Now I use it often. I hit my left hand so hard into the pool edge last
week when I did the backstrokes.
5. Ones who stay out of the pick-up game?: SLOBS. Nice clue.
6. "Goldberg Variations" composer: BACH.
7. Overjoy: ELATE.
8. Smart: SASSY.
10. Easter activity supply: FOOD DYE.
11. Petrol brand: ESSO.
12. "So cute!": AWW.
13. Abyss: CHASM.
14. Some disposable cookware: TIN PANS.
15. Get to, eventually: END UP AT.
16. Body of water that's nearly 10 times saltier than the ocean: DEAD SEA.
17. To and __: FRO.
18. Typo discovered after printing: ERRATUM.
22. Gets a little too close to a flame: SINGES.
26. "Birds of Prey" comic book writer Simone: GAIL. Learning moment for me.
28. __ generis: SUI.
32. Bounce back: ECHO.
34. "Beat it!": SCRAM.
35. Laptop choice: MAC. 74. 35-Down alternatives: PCS. 119. Big name in 74-Down: ACER.
36. "That's too scary for me": I DARE NOT. I asked David a while ago what his biggest fear was. He said "trapped in the cloud".
37. Balkans border: ADRIATIC.
38. Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls: MEL C.
41. Saints' org.: NFL.
44. Cold, in Cancún: FRIA.
45. High schooler, usually: TEEN.
46. Yours and mine: OURS.
47. Jog: TROT.
49. Loud, as a crowd: AROAR.
54. -speak: ESE.
56. Corp. head: CEO.
57. Compresses, in a way: ZIPS.
59. Post-spill operations: CLEAN-UPS.
60. Debate focus: KEY ISSUE.
61. Poetic contraction: TIS.
63. Lass: GAL.
64. In the manner of: ALA.
65. Opinion: TAKE.
69. Former union member: Abbr.: SSR.
71. Actress Witherspoon: REESE.
76. Wine bottle abbr.: ALC. OK, alcohol.
77. Nautical spine: KEEL.
78. North __ Sea: Kazakh lake: ARAL. I only know Aral Sea.
79. Sudoku digit: NINE.
80. __ monster: GILA.
83. Chuckle: LAUGH.
88. Reggae kin: SKA.
89. Japanese soup: MISO. Yellowrocks has mentioned this a few
times. Miso is the paste. You want "miso soup", misoshiru, never "miso"
alone for the soup. But we're in America.
90. Disinterest: APATHY.
91. Like some spoons: SLOTTED.
93. Airport safety org.: TSA.
94. Stymies: THWARTS.
95. Venezuelan designer Carolina: HERRERA. I have the full set of these bags she made for Target ages ago. Very pretty. Guess what I put inside?
96. Approved, as a PDF contract: E-SIGNED.
98. Using coercion: BY FORCE.
99. Pharmacy purchase: DRUG.
100. Attempt to hit: THROW AT.
103. Agnus __: DEI.
107. Add up to: TOTAL.
109. Spouse's sibling, e.g.: IN-LAW. My sister-in-law Connie has been amazing. We've been very close after she moved back to Minneapolis last December.
C.C. & Connie, Vegas, 2019
110. Justice Kagan: ELENA.
112. Swiss borders?: ESSES. Swiss.
115. Art community in New Mexico: TAOS.
117. Teeny: ITSY.
118. Wolfe of "Death of a Doxy": NERO.
120. Chore: TASK.
121. Wee worker: ANT.
123. Pigpen: STY.
125. The White Stripes drummer White: MEG.
Alright,
here's my flawed freestyle. I did not expect swimming to be so hard
when I jumped into the water back in June. I still only feel comfortable
breathing from one side. I'm right-handed, somehow I kick harder on my
left leg. Those are the flutter kicks, D-Otto!
