23-Across. * Expert in community development: URBAN PLANNER.
40-Across. * Publisher of scholarly journals: UNIVERSITY PRESS. Everything you wanted to know about a University Press but didn't know to ask. Books published through a University Press are generally peer reviewed. Here's a list of books published by various University Presses around the country.
53-Across. * India's most populous state: UTTAR PRADESH. A few interesting facts about Uttar Pradesh. It borders Nepal and is also the home of the Taj Mahal.
70-Across. Presumptuous newcomers, and what the answers to the starred clues
literally have: UP STARTS. Each theme answer is a two word phrase where the first word Starts with the letter U and the second word Starts with the letter P.
Across:
1. Loving murmur: COO.
4. Generic dog name: FIDO. Which United States President had
a dog named Fido? *
8. Short __: pancake orders: STACKS.
16. "Très chic!": OO LA LA.
17. Pride and joy: EMOTIONS.
18. Snapped: LOST IT.
19. Perfect Sleeper company: SERTA. [Name # 1.]
20. Short race, for short: ONE-K. As in a race that is One
Kilometer. One Kilometer is 0.621371 miles.
22. Even one: ANY.
27. Nonkosher sandwich, briefly: BLT. As in a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. It's the Bacon that makes it Treyf (unkosher).
30. Distress call: SOS. The letters SOS in the distress call don't actually stand for anything.
We got to listen to the song in yesterday's puzzle.
31. Baseball Hall of Famer Sandberg: RYNE. Ryne Sandberg (né
Ryne Dee Sandberg; b. Sept. 18, 1959) played baseball for 16 years. He
was a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. [Name #
2.]
32. Folk wisdom: LORE.
34. Feel poorly: AIL.
36. Paul of "Breaking Bad": AARON. Paul Aaron (né Aaron Paul
Sturtevant; b. Aug. 27, 1979) won several awards for his portrayal of Jesse
Pinkman on Breaking Bad. [Name # 3.]
44. Make a dance club version, say: REMIX.
45. Animal park: ZOO.
46. "Note to __ ... ": SELF.
47. Swarm (with): TEEM.
50. Montero Lamar Hill, __ Lil Nas X: AKA. Montero Lamar
Hill (b. Apr. 9, 1999) is a rapper who became know with his country rap
song Old Town Road. [Name # 4.]
52. Almost empty: LOW.
58. "No seats" sign: SRO. Standing Room Only.
59. "Moonstruck" Oscar winner: CHER. Before she got into
acting, Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) teamed up with Sonny
Bono (né Salvatore Phillip Bono; Feb. 16, 1935 ~ Jan. 5, 1998) and were a
popular 1960s duo. [Name # 5.]
60. Madeline Miller novel about an "Odyssey" witch: CIRCE. I
have read neither the original Odyssey nor the more
recent Circe. Madeline Miller (b. July 24, 1978) has an
advanced degree in the Classics, and has written several novels based on
ancient Greek mythology. She is probably best known for her 2011
novel The Song of Achilles. [Name # 6.]
64. Bluster: HOT AIR. Hot Air helps balloons go UP.
66. Monopoly space with a police officer: GO TO JAIL.
69. "Despite that ... ": EVEN SO.
71. Begin to blush: REDDEN.
72. Greek vowels: ETAs. Uppercase/Lowercase: Η η
73. Private __: EYE.
Down:
1. Sticks for pool sharks: CUES.
2. "I'll pay for dinner": ON ME.
3. Off-putting smell: ODOR.
4. Franciscan brothers: FRIARS.
5. Nasdaq debut: IPO. As in Initial Public Offering on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. Nasdaq vs. Dow.
6. "SNL" alum Aykroyd: DAN. Dan Aykroyd (né Daniel Edward
Aykroyd; b. July 1, 1952) portrayed many characters on Saturday Night Live,
including one of the Coneheads, and Elwood Blue of the Blues Brothers. He also starred as one of the original Ghostbuster. [Name # 7.]
7. Director Welles: ORSON. Orson Welles (né George Orson
Welles; May 6, 1915 ~ October 10, 1985) caused quite a stir in 1938, when his
radio adaption of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds, which
caused some listeners to believe that a Martian invasion was in fact occurring. [Name # 8.]
8. Only: SOLELY.
9. Recharged, in a way: TOOK A NAP.
10. Racers Unser Jr. and Unser Sr.: ALs. Father (Alfred
Unser, Sr.; May 20, 1939 ~ Dec. 9, 2021) and Son (Alfred Unser, Jr.; b. Apr.
19, 1962) from the famous Unser racing family, which began with Louis Unser,
Jr. (Mar. 16, 1896 ~ Oct. 18, 1979), the patriarch of the racing family. [Names # 9 and 10.]
11. Board game with the tagline "Trade Build Settle": CATAN.
I wasn't familiar with this game, so I am glad that Sumdaze explained it to me yesterday. The board is an interesting
shape.
12. Kevin of "Dave": KLINE. Dave was a 1993
comedy movie about a small business owner named Dave who unwittingly became
President. Dave was portrayed by Kevin Kline (né Kevin Delaney Kline; b.
Oct. 24, 1947). [Name # 11.]
13. Goat-legged deity: SATYR.
15. Legendary rebuke: ET TU. Today's Latin lesson. Did
you remember this from last Tuesday?
21. Broadcaster with pledge drives: NPR. National Public Radio appears with some frequency in the puzzles.
24. Tusked beast: BOAR.
25. Flaws and all: AS IS.
26. Zeros in on: NEARS.
27. Become hazy: BLUR. Like being at the optometrist ... is
it clear on the right or on the left?
28. Unaccompanied: LONE.
29. Add lace to, e.g.: TRIM. RBG wore lace collars.
33. Musical set in Buenos Aires: EVITA. The musical was
loosely based on the life of Eva Perón (May 7, 1919 ~ July 26, 1952).
[Name # 12.]
35. Claiborne of fashion: LIZ. Anne Elizabeth Jane Claiborne
(Mar. 31, 1929 ~ June 26, 2007) was an American fashion designer who was born
in Belgium to American parents. She has ties to Louisiana: her ancestor,
William C.C. Claiborne (1770s ~ Nov. 23, 1817) was the first governor of
Louisiana after the state gained statehood. [Name # 13.]
37. React to a shock: REEL.
38. Home of the Norwegian Military Academy: OSLO. Norway
traces its military forces back to the Vikings.
Cold Response Training by the Military
39. Warning that might prevent a click: NSFW. Textspeak
for Not Suitable For Work.
41. Work out: EXERCISE.
42. Bumpy-skinned amphibian: TOAD.
43. Joining device: YOKE.
48. "You've Got Mail" writer/director Nora: EPHRON. Nora
Ephron (May 19, 1941 ~ June 26, 2012) was a journalist, writer and filmmaker.
She also wrote and directed When Sleepless in Seattle.
In addition to rom-coms, she also wrote Silkwood, a dramatic
film based on the life and death of Karen Silkwood. [Name # 14.]
49. GI's field ration: MRE. Meals Ready to Eat.
51. Fancy neckwear: ASCOTS. A brief history of the necktie.
53. Theater guide: USHER.
54. Treasure stash: TROVE.
55. Schlepped: TOTED. Schlep can mean either to carry or to
take a tedious journey.
Only the penguins can schlep to Antarctica. The Polar Bears schlep north.
56. Squabble: ARGUE.
57. Daughter, in Spanish: HIJA. Today's Spanish lesson.
61. Hardly ubiquitous: RARE.
62. Selma or Salem: CITY. One is in Alabama and the other is
in Massachusetts (or Oregon if you are west-coast oriented.)
63. Instead: ELSE.
65. "Is there more?": AND ... Tell me more!
67. Make a call: OPT.
68. Agcy. that X-rays shoes: TSA. With Global Entry,
the Transportation Security Administration no longer requires one to remove shoes.
I am always happy to see Amie Walker's name on a puzzle. Today's is a good example of her talents. There is more to unpack here than on a typical Monday. (Note: You might want to pause here and top off your beverage of choice.)
Amie is playing with two music-related words in unexpected ways. The two words are LINE and BARS.
A line of a song is a lyric. We have 3 lines from the song Get Down Tonight by KC and The Sunshine Band (1975). Amie adds an extra layer by including the word "line" in the clues for three long fills. Each time, we get a different meaning for the word "line" plus none of those meanings correspond to its musical definition.
20 Across. Conga line?: DO A LITTLE DANCE.
"Line" is a queue of people. "Conga" is the "dance".
36 Across. Neck line?: MAKE A LITTLE LOVE.
"Line" is a fashion feature that accentuates the wearer's body or a garment's detail. "Neck" is "necking" a.k.a. making out.
47 Across. Party line?: GET DOWN TONIGHT.
"Line" is the 'official message' of a particular group. "Party" is a group of revelers.
Fair enough, but what about the unifier(s)? This is where the puzzle truly became fun.
62 Across. With 63-Across, 1970s nightclubs, or, in another sense, what 20-, 36-, and 47-Across are?: DISCO.
63 Across. See 62-Across: BARS.
In music theory, bar is another word for 'measure'. It contains a specific number of beats played at a particular tempo. They are called BARS because of the vertical lines that separate them along a musical staff. Think of the old joke, "No, but if you hum a few BARS...." Here is an example where both BARS have four beats.
Finally, Amie uses DISCO BARS in two ways. One is the 'nightclub' sense in the clue. The other is what I have been trying to build up to. The LINES in the long fills are BARS from the DISCO song, Get Down Tonight. They are another type of DISCO BARS. Whew! I told you there was a lot to unpack today! This would have been a good one for JzB. Are you ready for the song now?
Before we move on to the other clues, I want to add that the length of the long fills makes this puzzle a Monday level fit. Once you've parsed the theme, you can fill in a lot (28%) of the squares. On the other hand, if you are not familiar with this song, the level moves a few days forward in the week.
Across: 1. Field of study: AREA. and 9 Down. Field of study, perhaps: SITE.
[Fun clecho #1]
5. Lumps: CLODS. If your AREA of study is archaeology, you might sift through CLODS at your work SITE.
18. Lopsided: ATILT. Def: in a tilted or inclined position.
19. Corner chess piece: ROOK. a.k.a. castle
Once again Colin found himself stuck between a 'Rook' and a hard place.
23. Resource in Catan: ORE. Huh?
Catan, previously known as The Settlers of Catan or simply Settlers, is a board game for (generally) 3-4 players. It was designed by Klaus Teuber and was first published in 1995 in Germany. Players take on the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources.
24. Woolly moms: EWES. Fortunately for us XWD bloggers, there are plenty of sheep cartoons on the internet.
25. Cantina fare: TACOS. A "cantina" is a type of bar common in Latin America and Spain. I am reminded of Rosie's Cantina in the song, El Paso, written by Marty Robbins. This is a a pepped-up cover by the Old 97's (1999).
My favorite LINE: I caught a good one. He looked like he could run. ♪
28. Prepare to advance after a fly ball: TAG UP. In baseball, when a batter hits a fly ball and a fielder catches it, base runners have to go back to the base they were at when the play started and TAG UP before they can run to the next base. It gets exciting in the event the fielder botches the catch. Of course if there are already two outs, the runner should just go like the wind.
In this 'fly ball' video, things are complicated by the infield fly rule. The announcer explains that "Bonds was immediately out" but it would have been helpful if he also explained that this meant there was no longer a force play at home so they needed to tag the runner.
I like how the runner did a don't-mind-me sneak around to step on the plate.
31. Radio host John: TESH. He was born on July 9, 1952 on Long Island. In 1990, he wrote the NBA on NBC theme song. Here it is: 32. Cinnamon-scented seasonal decor: PINECONES (also PINE CONES). I love it when stores overpower me with cinnamon PINE CONES near the entrance!
Kudos to Amie for this 9-letter horizontal fill, along with its symmetrical partner at 39A.
39. "No, really!": I'M SERIOUS.
a very young Val Kilmer (left) (35 sec.)
Real Genius (1985)
40. MGM co-founder: LOEW. Marcus LOEW and Louis B. Mayer founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. on April 17, 1924. LOEW died three and a half years later from a heart attack at 57-years-old.
41. Many "Saved by the Bell" characters: TEENS. Ranker puts Saved by the Bell at #11 for The Best Teen Comedy Series Every Made.
42. Chores: TASKS.
44. Heckling chorus: BOOS.
46. Cozy spot: DEN. and 33 Down. Cozy spot: NOOK.
[Fun clecho #2]
54. Bruno Mars's birthplace: OAHU. and56 Across. Floral garlands: LEIS.
Born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985 in Honolulu, HI, Bruno has 31 Grammy nominations and 15 wins.
55. Squirrel away: HOARD.
58. World Cup cheers: OLES.
59. Cosmic path: ORBIT. Thanks for the Science fill, Amie! It gives us an opportunity to catch up on what is happening with cislunar space.
60. Froyo topping option: OREO. This feels a bit awkward in the singular.
61. Saucy: PERT.
Down: 1. Egyptian cobra: ASP.
2. Fork locale: ROAD. Homonyms are great for misdirection. It is not the fork located next to your dinner plate.
another tricky homonym
3. Greek currency: EURO. Greece joined the EU in 1981. It adopted the EURO in 2001 in time to be among the first wave of countries to launch EURO banknotes and coins on January 1, 2002. Prior to that, it's national currency was the drachma (1833-2002).
4. __ mater: ALMA. Def.: the school, college or university that one once attended.
It is a Latin phrase that literally means "nourishing/bounteous mother".
5. Dining set array: CHAIRS.
6. Cupful with steamed milk: LATTE.
7. "I got this!": ON IT.
8. Mermaid Barbie, for one: DOLL.
She has rainbows and a sparkly tiara!!
10. Informal surveys: STRAW POLLS. My informal definition is "an unofficial vote to determine which way the group is leaning."
11. Device not allowed during a family meal, maybe: PHONE. and45 Down. Significant __: OTHER.
Have you heard of "phubbing"? It is a portmanteau made from the words "phone snubbing" and is the act of ignoring a companion in favor of using a smartphone. Not cool, dude!
12. Some Camaros: IROCS. Someone on The Corner used to have one but I do not remember whom it was.
13. Heat in a microwave: NUKE.
And I thought nuclear weapons were a 20th century invention.
21. Bathroom, to a Brit: LOO.
22. Low card: DEUCE.
25. One of 32 in the NHL: TEAM. The NHL's 2023-24 regular season begins on Tuesday, October 10. more info
26. Queries: ASKS.
27. Residue from an orange snack: CHEETO DUST. Its official name is "Cheetle". (No, really. I'M SERIOUS. I did not make that up.)
30 sec. TV commercial
28. Welliver of "Bosch" and "Bosch: Legacy": TITUS. his IMDb page
29. Pantry pests: ANTS.
Oh, "pantry", not "pants" !
30. Solidify: GEL.
31. Brief "Yikes, didn't need that in my brain": TMI. Too Much Information
32. Subatomic particle: PION. Hand up for atOm first.
34. Present-wrapping nights, for procrastinators: EVES. Hmmmm...... We might be trying too hard with this one. It would be uncommon to wrap presents on the non-Christmas EVES.
35. Work with a needle and thread: SEW.
37. "Am not!" retort: ARE SO.
38. Fib: LIE.
42. Take care of: TEND TO.
43. "The Phantom Menace" boy: ANI. This was a nickname for the Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace character, Anakin Skywalker.
"Thunk" was a hint at slang. The apostrophes represent missing letters.
49. Sushi seaweed: NORI.
This pic shows sushi before being rolled up. In this case, the NORI is under the rice so it will become the outside of the roll (maki style). The bamboo mat helps with the rolling.