Good morning, Cruciverbalists, Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap. It is morning here but, fortunately, it's 5 o'clock somewhere because today's puzzle by Katherine Baicker and Laura Dershewitz requires a bit of experience with the language and customs of drinking whisky (or whiskey if you prefer potables other than Scotch). It may have been appropriate to publish this puzzle tomorrow as July 27th is National Scotch Day!
Let's start with the reveal:
61 Across: "Straight up, please," to match 17-, 25-, 37-, and 51-Across?: MAKE IT NEAT. In drinker's jargon, "NEAT" (or straight up) means with no ice. At four places within the grid our co-constructors have removed the ICE in order to form creative and amusing answers to the clues.
Let's see how this "gimmick" is applied:
17 Across: Orientation for new senators?: POL ACADEMY. A learning place for politicians (POLs). Before the removal: POLICE ACADEMY
25 Across: "Margaret won't be in the comedy showcase!"?: YOU HAVE NO CHO. Comedienne Margaret Cho has scratched from the showcase. Before the removal: YOU HAVE NO CHOICE
37 Across: Exclamation when a product lives up to the hype?: THE PR IS RIGHT. The public relations blitz was not just a lot of hot air. Before the removal: THE PRICE IS RIGHT
51 Across: Tables and chairs that wobble?: OFF FURNITURE. There is something wrong with the furniture. It's a bit OFF. Before the removal: OFFICE FURNITURE
Here is what the completed grid looks like:
Here are the rest of the clues/answers:
Across:
1. Light melody: LILT.
5. Singer Del Rey: LANA. A frequent visitor these days and, yet, someone about whom this solver remain totally ignorant. However, while walking around Venice,CA with Valerie I did see these posters:
9. Photographer Adams: ANSEL. Nice shot.
14. Nice companion: AMIE. Nice as in not mean? No. As in the French city.
15. Sister of Castor and Pollux: HELEN.
16. Raises or rises: REARS. Here, Trigger REARS (rises). I wonder if Trigger raised his children to do the same.
19. Possessed: OWNED. Not a demonic reference.
20. "Way cool!": SO DOPE. Slang. Why does BITCHEN or GROOVY, or even PHAT, seem okay but not this? Wait, don't answer that, please. In an homage to the Seven Dwarfs, DOPEy is now followed by "What's Up, Doc".
21. "Wabbit" hunter: FUDD. Elmer was too long.
22. AQI monitor: EPA. Air Quality Index in the clue.
29. New England state: VERMONT.
31. Conclude: END.
32. __ Lingus: AER. The Irish airline.
33. Theme park serviced by the Disney World monorail: EPCOT. EPCOT opened on October 01, 1982.
34. Took to court: SUED. I SUED the airlines for losing my luggage. I lost my case.
36. IRS IDs: SSNS. We are often asked to supply this even though we're told to never share it.
41. Pupil's place: IRIS. Not a schoolhouse reference. An eyeball reference.
43. Wee bit: IOTA. A constructor's friend.
44. Needed a sick day: AILED.
47. Boxing Day mo.: DEC.
48. Part of a pod cast?: PEA. Not a tech reference. PEAs in a pod.
49. Q-Tip and Ice-T: RAPPERS. Not the swab and the beverage. Does Elmer listen to wappers?
55. Circular __: SAW.
56. Scull pair: OARS. Before a surgery the anesthesiologist asked the patient if she'd like to be knocked out with gas or be hit over the head with a canoe paddle. It was an ether/oar situation.
57. Reptiles in the logos of some dojos: COBRAS.
59. Muddle: MIXUP.
65. Shampoo brand since 1947: PRELL.
Pam Dawber - 1973
66. Correct spelling, say: EMEND.
67. Beltmaking tools: AWLS. Not as in the old saying "ALLS well that ends well, I suppose."
68. Source of waste: HASTE. As in the old saying "HASTE makes waste."
69. Movie night rooms: DENS. Often clued with an ursine reference.
70. Nerd (out): GEEK. Used as a verb in the clue although I am not sure why as the noun forms of each would have worked out the same.
Down:
1. Cozy cat seat: LAP.
LAPtop Cats
2. "Sez me": IMO. In My Opinion
3. Smaller than sm.: LIL. This one was a bit of a stretch. Thanks, perps.
4. Bitter brews: TEAS. Hand up for trying to make ALES work out. . . and it did at 63 Down.
5. Showed the door: LED OUT. Don't let it hit you.
6. First Hebrew letter: ALEPH.
7. Mythical lion's home: NEMEA. TheNEMEA lion was a legendary creature in Greek mythology that ravaged the area of Nemea. Its fur was impenetrable by the weapons of humans and hence, was unstoppable. It was considered to be the child of Typhon and Echidna, father and mother of all monsters.
8. "__ minute now ... ": ANY.
9. Word with poke or push: AROUND.
10. Fresh cut: NEW DO. A hair style reference.
11. Beach homes?: SAND CASTLES. With a tip of the hat to Jimi Hendrix.
12. Afore: ERE.
13. Acid initials: LSD. Did you hear about the guy who got LSD and LDS mixed up? Instead of going on a trip he went on a mission,.
15. Wore: HAD ON.
18. University of South Dakota athlete: COYOTE. Something of a universal mascot in SoCAl these days.
21. Italian luxury brand: FENDI. PRADA and GUCCI would also have fit the allotted space.
22. Morn's opposite: EVE. Morning / EVEning
23. Pizzazz: PEP.
24. Permafrost predators: ARCTIC FOXES.
26. Turn sharply: VEER.
27. __ of the woods mushroom: HEN. Thanks, perps.
28. Alternatives: ORS.
30. Hardness scale name: MOHS.
34. Prepare for takeoff, maybe: SIT. Huh? Okay, no one stands for takeoff but this one is a huge stretch.
35. Katie Ledecky's team: Abbr.: USA. An American Olympic swim team member.
36. Pickup alternative: SHIP. A choice familiar to those who use, for example, Target or Walmart's websites.
38. Docking stations?: PIERS. Not a tech reference. A ship reference. Nice placement.
39. Reddish horse: ROAN.
40. Watch in wonder: GAPE AT.
41. "Who wants cake?" response: I DO. More often clued with a matrimonial reference.
42. Slo-mo reviewer: REF. REFeree
45. Time worth studying: ERA. What era is a musician in when she has not money. The Baroque ERA.
46. Bargain footwear chain: DSW.
48. Red and blue: PURPLE. Not the colors alone. The colors together.
49. Flemish painter Peter Paul __: RUBENS.
50. Extra Extra Dry brand: ARRID. A deodorant reference.
52. Server error?: FAULT. A tennis reference.
53. Beginning of a famous boast: I CAME. If Caesar spoke English.
Today's constructor Keico Deuser is making her debut on the Corner with a
simple, but clever play on two different meanings for the word
PARTY. Each of the theme clues are a type of party -- a celebration
or gathering of people. However the fill for each is a real or fictitious
person that might be present at the gathering ...
17. Christmas party: SANTA CLAUS. The party attending this party
has the modern nickname for
St. Nicholas of Myrna (March 15, 270 – December 6, 343 AD), the patron saint of children and a storied
gift giver, whose feast day is celebrated in Western churches on December
6th. Legend has it that he rescued three girls from being forced into
prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of their house
each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for each of
them.
Santa Claus
26. Slumber party: RIP VAN WINKLE. The party attending this party
is a character in
a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial
America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their
strong liquor and falls deeply asleep in the Catskill Mountains. He awakes 20
years later to a very changed world, having missed the American
Revolution!
Rip Van Winkle Hunter Mountain Ski Lodge Catskill Mountains
44. Halloween party: MICHAEL MYERS. The party attending this party
is a character from the slasher film series Halloween. He first appears
in 1978 in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his
elder sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he returns home to Haddonfield,
Illinois, to murder more teenagers. He has been featured in twelve films,
as well as novels, video games, and comic books. You wouldn't want to go
trick or treating to his house💀.
60. Cocktail party: TOM COLLINS. The party at this party is the
name of a well known cocktail, which has a
murky history. After you've had a few of these
it will get even murkier
... 😀
Tom Collins cocktail
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ... Across:
1. Cop to: ADMIT. To confess guilt, perhaps to reduce a
sentence -- "to cop a plea". See 50A.
15. Brief analysis?: EVAL. Abbr. spelling of
EVALUATION.
16. Blind strip: SLAT.
17. [Theme clue].
19. Unit of lipstick: TUBE.
20. Fuel made from corn: ETHANOL. Biofuels explained. In addition to fueling vehicles it is also used to fuel some parties --
see e.g. 60A. Here's the chemical formula for Ethanol ...
21. Beverage with tapioca pearls: BOBA TEA. AKA
Boba tea
(aka bubble tea, pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, tapioca milk tea) is a
tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s and spread rapidly
throughout Asia. Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the
1990s, initially in California, through regions including Los Angeles County.
23. Winter coat?: SNOW.
25. Many an island in the South Pacific: ATOLL.
26. [Theme
clue].
32. Starting squad: A TEAM.
33. "Good Omens" co-writer Gaiman: NEIL. Good Omens
is a fantasy comedy television series created by Neil Gaiman based on his and
Terry Pratchett's 1990 novel. Michael Sheen and
David Tennant lead a large ensemble cast that also includes Jon Hamm,
Miranda Richardson, Michael McKean, Derek Jacobi, Brian Cox, Benedict
Cumberbatch, and Frances McDormand as the voice of God, who narrates the
series. Here's a trailer ...
34. Couple: DUO.
37. Pasta filling, sometimes: MEAT.
38. Popped with a low blow: KNEED. Ouch!
40. Source of a low blow?: TUBA. This tune is usually played on a 4
letter instrument favored by crossword constructors, but here it is lowered by
two octaves ...
41. Justin Trudeau and Christopher Luxon, for short: PMS. The
Prime Ministers of Canada (CSOCanadianEh!) and
New Zealand respectively.
42. Degs. for filmmakers: MFAS.
Masters of Fine Arts. This article doesn't say whether they got
MFAS, but here are
8 film makers who went to film school.
43. Call for pizza, say: ORDER.
44. [Theme clue].
47. Professionals who might bug people: SPIES.
50. Impassioned request: PLEA.
51. Seemingly unbeatable foe: NEMESIS. While we tend to think of a
nemesis as the bad guy (e.g. Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes), in ancient
Greek religion and myth,
Nemesis was the goddess who personified divine justice
and retribution for the sin of hubris; arrogance before the gods.
Justice (Dike, on the left) and Divine Vengeance (Nemesis, right) pursuing a criminal murderer Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, 1808
54. Get the big picture: ENLARGE.
59. Maroon 5 lead singer Levine: ADAM.
Maroon 5 is
an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead
vocalist and guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist
Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine, drummer
Matt Flynn, keyboardist PJ Morton and multi-instrumentalist and
bassist Sam Farrar. Here's a little Sugar from their fifth
album V ...
60. [Theme clue].
62. Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, say: GAGA.
People are going gaga over the game of gaga these days. Here's one of my grandsons on the left getting ready to score the
winning point in the gaga pit at Catholic Family Land in Ohio ...
63. Glutinous glob: CLOT.
64. D sharp equivalent: EFLAT. Here's the
E FLAT
key signature.
65. Whole lot: SLEW.
66. Border lines?: HEMS.
67. Black Sea resort: YALTA.
Down:
1. Choir section: APSE. Do Keico/Patti want us to think of ALTO? The term APSE
generally refers to a semi-circular section of a church, such as the
sanctuary in the front of the church, or smaller niches along the sides,
typically containing statues of saints. Below is a floor plan for a
cathedral, showing the sanctuary in grey. If the sanctuary is large
enough, there may be space for a choir, but the space most commonly
associated with choirs is the choir loft in the rear or one side of the church, where the organ is usually placed.
6. Like many a school bus: YELLOW. Some of them are magic
...
The Magic School Bus
7. Egg cells: OVA. Today's Latin lesson.
8. Mark on a bingo card: DAUB. I ran this by the triceratops and
the pigeons and they weren't buying it, so I Googled "bingo" and found
this Wiki, which led me to the following YouTube by Ms. Delta Bingo. It
turns out that when you're playing a high stakes game like bingo, every second
counts ...
9. "On top of which ... ": ALSO.
10. Lot of wealth?: ESTATE. A very big lot. 😀
11. Popeye's rival: BLUTO. What a difference an apostrophe
makes. Last week Popeyes' rival was KFC (see
also 38D). This week Popeye's rival is
Bluto ...
Mr. Bluto
12. Genesis locale: BABEL. The construction of the
Tower of Babel
is described in Genesis 11:1–9. God interpreted this project as a sin of pride, as the people were
attempting to reach heaven without His assistance. To prevent this he
confounded their speech, such that they could no longer understand each other,
with the result that they scattered to the ends of the Earth. Among
other meanings this story explains the origin of languages.
The Tower of Babel Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1563
13. Terrific bargain: STEAL.
18. Nutmegger's st.: CONN. Nutmegger is a nickname
for people from the US state of Connecticut. The official nickname for
Connecticut is "The Constitution State", as voted in 1958 by the Connecticut
state legislature; however, "The Nutmeg State" is an unofficial nickname for
the state, hence the nickname "Nutmegger". The exact reason for this is
shrouded in history, but
here are some theories.
22. Word with hard or soft: BALL.
24. Apple often used to make cider: WINESAP. Winesap apples
are a cultivar of unknown origin, dating at least to American colonial
times. Its apples are sweet with a tangy finish. They are used for
eating, cooking, and are especially prized for making cider.
Winesap Apple
26. X Games launch point: RAMP. This one is a little subtle and I
got it on perps. The
X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN
Inc. and owned by MSP Sports Capital, Inc since 2022. The X Games
have been held all over the world and typically include sports such as
skateboarding, BMX, freestyle motocross,
skiing and snowboarding. Apparently the launch points for
several of these sports are called RAMPS.
27. "Unexpected __ in bagging area": ITEM. You may hear this
phrase if you are using self-service check-out in a grocery store. If
the system detects an increase in the weight in one of the bags in the
bagging area, without a preceding ITEM having been scanned for
payment, a friendly voice will pop-up to remind you. During our recent
visit to Cleveland we were buying some groceries and heard the exact same
voice during check-out., presumably originating from the same point-of-sale
software we use back in Baltimore.
28. Pair in a pod: PEAS.
29. Factory tub: VAT.
30. Word that indicates a name change: NEE.
31. "Diary of a Wimpy __": KID. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
is an American children's book series and media franchise created by American
author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a
middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary (although he insists
that it is a journal). Here are the first four books in the series
...
34. "Seriously, man!?": DUDE.
35. Superlative prefix: UBER. Today's German lesson:
ABOVE.
43. Walter who moved the Dodgers to Los Angeles:
O'MALLEY. Walter Francis O'Malley
(October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned
the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to
1979. In 1958, as owner of the Dodgers, he brought major league baseball to
the West Coast, moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles despite the
Dodgers being the second most profitable team in baseball from 1946 to
1956. In 2008, O'Malley was elected to the National Baseball Hall of
Fame for his contributions to and influence on the game of baseball.
44. Granny, to some: MEEMAW. "Meemaw", like "Mamaw",
"Mimah" and various other Southern US expressions for grandmother or mother,
ultimately derives from Acadian (Cajun) or Louisiana French, in which the
French maman ('mother') is pronounced more or less as "m'maw".
This is what Sheldon calls his grandmother on TBBT ...
45. Puts in a seat: ELECTS.
46. Host before Fallon: LENO. James Douglas Muir Leno
(born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, writer and
comedian. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of
NBC's The Tonight Show from 1992 until 2009 and, due to some
scheduling conflicts at NBC, again from 2010 to 2014. That year, he was
inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Here he is in 1987 being interviewed by the host before him ...
47. Bumps in the road: SNAGS.
48. One of two on a tricycle: PEDAL.
49. Instagram upload: IMAGE.
52. Urge: ITCH.
53. Worn-down part of a shoe: SOLE. Or a flat fish ...
Dover Sole
55. __ Romeo: ALFA. CSO to -T. I'll bet
that's how he swept DW off her feet!
1990 Alfa Romeo Spider $23,990 - 51,440 miles
56. Streamlet: RILL.
Also a verb: "to flow in a small stream; to trickle".
57. Tiny pest: GNAT.
58. "¿Cómo __?": ESTA. Today's Spanish lesson: "HOW YA DOIN'?"
61. May celebrant: MOM.
Cheers, Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
I
am pleased to see a puzzle that is a standard 15x15 grid, with no
circles, a SLEW of "quoted" clues, only a handful of proper names - but - we have a balance of thirteen 3LWs in both the Across and Down
clues still. Mr. Schlossberg has appeared before at the corner, dating as
far back as 2019, as far as I can see. The construction itself is a bit
odd, I must admit, with a "*" theme answer starting us off at 1A.;
enclosed in the parentheses are the necessary "parts" one would assemble
to complete the "project" for your pet. Those theme answers, with the
centered reveal to start; 38. Labors of love, perhaps, and what the answers to the starred clues are?: PET PROJECTS
1. *Messy place [wire mesh, posts, fasteners]: PIGPEN - I had PIG STY to start
20. *Area with little privacy [candy jar, rocks, aerator, water]: GOLDFISH BOWL - Geez, I hope that's a BIG candy jar
Klaus of American Dad !
57. *Dull and repetitive job [cardboard, dowel, popsicle sticks, glue, scissors]: HAMSTER WHEEL - this clue/answer doesn't quite jibe for me; not quite sure how to phrase it
A trippy Monster Magnet song; lyric @ 0:54
71. *Irresistible thing [seeds, soil, water, sunlight]: CATNIP - I think you all know my "catnip"
10. Barracks bosses: Abbr.: SGTs - I saw "Barack's" at first, so I thought "huh~?" Aliens~?
14. Verdi opera: OTELLO - the "Italian" adaptation of the Bard; Guiseppe Verdi = "Joe Green" ( thanks, Victor Borge )
15. Pride or lust: SIN - se7en was a great movie
16. Time in office: TERM - Barack did two "terms"
17. Lose feeling: GO NUMB - my bum went numb as I had to deliver and pick-up pipes 1100 miles round-trip; the place - a renovation shop in Alliance OH, A.R. Schopp's Sons Co., making organs and pipes for over 100yrs
18. Winter sport vehicle: ICE CANOE
22. Cuppa, to a Brit: TEA - I occasionally go for a "spot" of tea
33. Group summoned to a courthouse: JURY POOL - there's something "off" about the wording of this clue/answer, too - like jurOR would be better. . . .
36. Country duo Maddie & __: TAE - no clue; their website
41. Pup's bark: YAP - not YIP today
42. Landscape alternative: PORTRAIT - photos and printing orientation
45. Pine (for): ACHE - my first fill was LONG - Bzzzt~!
48. Uncork, say: OPEN - see 54D.
50. Gumbo pod: OKRA
51. "Please explain": "WHY~?"
52. Actress de Armas: ANA - filled via perps; her IMDb - once I looked, I realized she was the hot "Bond girl" in No Time To Die - I loved her scenes~!
53. Qty.: AMounT
56. Body part examined by an otolaryngologist: EAR - a long way to go for a 3LW; see 35D.
61. Insinuation: INNUENDO - OK, but what do you really mean~?
62. Dresser part: DRAWER
66. Shakespearean king: LEAR - more of the Bard
67. As well: TOO
68. Camden Yards ballplayer: ORIOLE - Waaay back when I was about 8yrs old, I thought this team had the coolest logo on their hats
69. French fashion magazine: ELLE
70. "Lisa From Temecula" sketch show, for short: SNL - crossword sketch show = Ektorp, and #13 for 3LW in the ACROSS
DOWN:
1. 1990s fad disc: POG - I was too old for this; essentially
collectible cardboard discs
2. "How was __ know?": "I TO"
3. Lead-in to Xer, Yer, and Zer: GENeration
4. Stop (up): PLUG - I had CLOG, then STOP, duh, because of STY, and it messed up my NW
5. "__ World": "Sesame Street" feature: ELMO'S
6. Highborn: NOBLE
7. "You wish!": "AS IF~!"
8. More fraught: DICIER
9. Many a kayak: ONE-SEATER
may the "oars" be with you
10. Wild guess: STAB - or WAG, if you're doing the crossword
11. Biological map subject: GENOME
12. Mortar-spreading tool: TROWEL - and what some women use to apply makeup
13. Like some compost bins: SMELLY - I suppose it would "smell", but is it smell-Y~? The kitchen garbage, that's a different story. . . .
19. Comedian Margaret: CHO - becoming a crossword staple
21. Interior design: DÉCOR
22. __ Mahal: TAJ - I uploaded an image of my "Garage Mahal" sign a couple of months ago
23. College URL ender: EDU
24. 50+ group: AARP - technically, I qualify - but I am resisting the fact that I am "OLD"
29. "Nonsense!": "MY EYE~!"
31. Get hitched in Vegas, perhaps: ELOPE
32. Hip again: RETRO - I noticed that yoga pants are going "retro" now. . . .
Dare I say, "Bell Bottoms"~?
34. School org.: PTA
35. Foes: OPPONENTS - and a short way to get to a loooong answer
37. Play a part: ACT
39. "The Wolf of Wall Street" Oscar nominee Hill: JONAH - perps and WAGs
40. Sushi pairing: SAKE - Dah~! I tried the NORI first
43. Golden yrs. fund: IRA - I have two; one is funded by the proceeds from my investment account to avoid taxation - works for me
44. Road goo: TAR
45. Some time: AWHILE
46. Big name in perfume: CHANEL
I am "intimidated" by these ads with ripped men;
I feel like I'm "not allowed" to wear this cologne
47. Church songbook: HYMNAL
49. "Excuse me?": "PARDON~?"
52. Noshed: ATE
54. French red wine: MEDOC - I quit drinking, ergo I don't drink wine; I was unfamiliar with this answer. . . .
. . . but 1971 was a great year to be "born". . . .
55. __ firma: TERRA
58. "Yeah, I guess so": "SURE."
59. Cold-weather fabric: WOOL
60. Milk, in French: LAIT - Frawnche, but I knew this