Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Today we are treated to another Olympic-themed puzzle. What a marvelous surprise! Theme:
USA FTW!
Beginning with the four themed clues, we have:
16 Across. Performance in the center ring, e.g.: CIRCUS ACT.
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| Three Ring Circus by Linda Mears |
22 Across. Facetious "do not disturb" sign: GENIUS AT WORK. This one was my favorite.
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| some Wile E. for Charlie Echo |
49 Across. Year-end feat for a star student: A-PLUS AVERAGE. It took me a bit to parse the hyphen. I suppose that lowers my average.
60 Across. Leafy dish that may be topped with vegan ranch dressing: TOFU SALAD.
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| recipe (I would skip Step #2 to save time.) |
The reveal is found in Row 8:
38 Across. Olympic delegation cheered on by the chant found in 16-, 22-, 49-, and 60-Across: TEAM USA. 
Bonus points to Shaun and Ben for finding phrases where USA spans two words.
Additional bonus points for including eleven Olympics-themed clues in the fill. I will note them as we go through the other clues. Just a warning, I am taking some liberties here.
Across:
1. Clock front: FACE. Last Monday's reveal was ON THE CLOCK.
5. Genie's home: LAMP.
9. IRS form experts: CPAS. "Internal Revenue Service" is abbreviated, so is "Certified Public Accounts".
13. Arkin of "Argo": ALAN. (1934 - 2023). He was in a lot of notable movies. I wonder if our constructors chose Argo because they advocate alliteration. #ItTakesOneToKnowOne
14. Genesis twin: ESAU. He was the elder twin to brother, Jacob.
15. __ kebab: SHISH. Its etymology is Turkish. The Western version is a dish of pieces of marinated meat and vegetables cooked and served on skewers.
18. 1492 craft: PINTA. and 20 Across. Ocean crossed by 18-Across: ATLANTIC.
19. Barcelona bar bites: TAPAS. another amusing alliteration
25. Splashy suits?: SPEEDOS. [Olympic nod #1. They are seen in the swimming and diving competitions.]
28. "One Kiss" singer __ Lipa: DUA. If you saw Barbie, you saw Dua in a cameo role, playing Mermaid Barbie. Additionally, her song Dance the Night is on the movie's soundtrack.
30. Beaver structures: DAMS. Beavers are considered a keystone species because they create habitat for so many other animals. This is wonderful time-lapse video showing the wildlife attracted to a pond made from a beaver's DAM. It is from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. (5:41 min.) Look for the dates in the bottom, right-hand corner. It begins on 3/31/19 and goes through 4/20/20. At the end, there is a list of all the animals in order of appearance. Fittingly, the very first animal listed is Beaver Castor canadensis.
33. Pride flag letters: LGBTQ.
37. "__ the land of the free ... ": O'ER. [Olympic nod #2. You will hear it whenever the USA is awarded a gold medal.]
40. 38-Across gymnast Mary __ Retton: LOU. [Olympic nod #3. She won five medals in gymnastics events at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angles.]
41. Hard-to-find guy: WALDO. There are seven primary Where's Waldo? books and over 30 variations. The first Where's Wally? book was published in 1987 in the U.K.
43. Guitar clamp: CAPO. Without a CAPO, the open strings on a guitar are E, A, D, G, B, and E. My teacher taught me the mnemonic Elephants And Donkeys Got Big Ears. Using a CAPO changes those notes, depending on where the CAPO is applied. It allows one to use familiar finger positions to play different chords.
44. 38-Across gymnast Lee: SUNI. [Olympic nod #4. Among her many achievements, Suni is on the 2024 USA Women's gold-medal winning gymnastics team.]
45. Dashboard stat: RPM. "Statistic" is abbreviated, so is "Revolutions Per Minute".
47. Optometry exam: EYE TEST. I had one the other day. I had to confess to my doctor that I was "meta-ing the test" because I could not tell if the second letter was an O or a D but I looked ahead and saw a for-sure D, so I knew the blurry letter must be an O.
54. Steakhouse order often served au jus: PRIME RIB.
55. Old enough: OF AGE. [Olympic nod #5. Have you noticed that the announcers tend to say, "At twenty years OF AGE" instead of "twenty years old"?]
59. __ of humor: SENSE.
63. Cheered (on): EGGED. I am fairly sure EGGing someone on is cheering them on to do a bad thing so no Olympic nod this time.
64. Erelong: ANON. Erelong is a hint that the answer is also archaic. Both are adverbs that mean "before long", "shortly", or "soon".
65. "Blame It on the Bossa __": NOVA. This song was a 1963 hit single for Eydie Gormé (1928-2013). (Mad Men fans might like this video.)
66. Flue grime: SOOT.
9. Chitchat: CHIN-WAG. Merriam-Webster labels this word as "chiefly British" and "informal". It means "a friendly conversation."
10. Spotted bean or horse: PINTO. In the NE, we have PINTO crossing PINTA, which crossed the ATLANTIC.
12. Rustic cabin: SHACK.
39. Protein-rich bean: SOYA.
42. Percussionist's kit: DRUMSET. Putting kit in the clue waved us off the preferred DRUMkit.
44. No Doubt lead singer Gwen: STEFANI. Before she was on The Voice, Gwen was Just a Girl (1995), singing in a band called No Doubt.
46. Tarnish: MAR. like a reputation
48. Self-images: EGOS.
49. Church recesses: APSES.
50. Spaghetti sauce brand: PREGO.
51. Shoptalk: LINGO.
52. All-important: VITAL.
53. Tree with black wood: EBONY.
56. "Thanks __!": A LOT.
57. __ birth to: GAVE.
58. Cheese similar to Babybel snacks: EDAM.
61. The "F" of FWIW: FOR. FOR What It's Worth
62. French one: UNE. [Olympic nod #11. France is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.]
1. Clock front: FACE. Last Monday's reveal was ON THE CLOCK.
5. Genie's home: LAMP.
9. IRS form experts: CPAS. "Internal Revenue Service" is abbreviated, so is "Certified Public Accounts".
13. Arkin of "Argo": ALAN. (1934 - 2023). He was in a lot of notable movies. I wonder if our constructors chose Argo because they advocate alliteration. #ItTakesOneToKnowOne
14. Genesis twin: ESAU. He was the elder twin to brother, Jacob.
15. __ kebab: SHISH. Its etymology is Turkish. The Western version is a dish of pieces of marinated meat and vegetables cooked and served on skewers.
18. 1492 craft: PINTA. and 20 Across. Ocean crossed by 18-Across: ATLANTIC.
 |
| In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean Blue. |
19. Barcelona bar bites: TAPAS. another amusing alliteration
25. Splashy suits?: SPEEDOS. [Olympic nod #1. They are seen in the swimming and diving competitions.]
28. "One Kiss" singer __ Lipa: DUA. If you saw Barbie, you saw Dua in a cameo role, playing Mermaid Barbie. Additionally, her song Dance the Night is on the movie's soundtrack.
29. Dressed (in): CLAD. In the above picture, Dua Lipa is CLAD in a mermaid costume.
30. Beaver structures: DAMS. Beavers are considered a keystone species because they create habitat for so many other animals. This is wonderful time-lapse video showing the wildlife attracted to a pond made from a beaver's DAM. It is from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. (5:41 min.) Look for the dates in the bottom, right-hand corner. It begins on 3/31/19 and goes through 4/20/20. At the end, there is a list of all the animals in order of appearance. Fittingly, the very first animal listed is Beaver Castor canadensis.
33. Pride flag letters: LGBTQ.
37. "__ the land of the free ... ": O'ER. [Olympic nod #2. You will hear it whenever the USA is awarded a gold medal.]
40. 38-Across gymnast Mary __ Retton: LOU. [Olympic nod #3. She won five medals in gymnastics events at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angles.]
41. Hard-to-find guy: WALDO. There are seven primary Where's Waldo? books and over 30 variations. The first Where's Wally? book was published in 1987 in the U.K.
43. Guitar clamp: CAPO. Without a CAPO, the open strings on a guitar are E, A, D, G, B, and E. My teacher taught me the mnemonic Elephants And Donkeys Got Big Ears. Using a CAPO changes those notes, depending on where the CAPO is applied. It allows one to use familiar finger positions to play different chords.
44. 38-Across gymnast Lee: SUNI. [Olympic nod #4. Among her many achievements, Suni is on the 2024 USA Women's gold-medal winning gymnastics team.]
45. Dashboard stat: RPM. "Statistic" is abbreviated, so is "Revolutions Per Minute".
47. Optometry exam: EYE TEST. I had one the other day. I had to confess to my doctor that I was "meta-ing the test" because I could not tell if the second letter was an O or a D but I looked ahead and saw a for-sure D, so I knew the blurry letter must be an O.
54. Steakhouse order often served au jus: PRIME RIB.
55. Old enough: OF AGE. [Olympic nod #5. Have you noticed that the announcers tend to say, "At twenty years OF AGE" instead of "twenty years old"?]
59. __ of humor: SENSE.
63. Cheered (on): EGGED. I am fairly sure EGGing someone on is cheering them on to do a bad thing so no Olympic nod this time.
 |
| a crocodile hatching from and EGG Its mother will stay nearby (to EGG it on?) for several weeks to months. more on crocodiles |
64. Erelong: ANON. Erelong is a hint that the answer is also archaic. Both are adverbs that mean "before long", "shortly", or "soon".
65. "Blame It on the Bossa __": NOVA. This song was a 1963 hit single for Eydie Gormé (1928-2013). (Mad Men fans might like this video.)
66. Flue grime: SOOT.
67. U-shaped stringed instrument: LYRE. 
68. Checkout unit: ITEM.
Down:
1. Information that's easily verified: FACT.
2. Shawkat of "Being the Ricardos": ALIA. She was also in Arrested Development. IMDb page
3. Gefilte fish fish: CARP.
4. Like some small pets: ENCAGED. After being ENCAGED, the canary was ENrAGED so it ENgAGED an attorney.
5. "__ Misérables": LES. [Olympic nod #6. A French rendition of Do You Hear the People Sing? was in the Opening Ceremonies.]
68. Checkout unit: ITEM.
 |
| (Click to enlarge.) Sometimes that is me on the right because I have not yet figured out how to bag my own ITEMs and dig for my credit card at the same time. |
Down:
1. Information that's easily verified: FACT.
2. Shawkat of "Being the Ricardos": ALIA. She was also in Arrested Development. IMDb page
3. Gefilte fish fish: CARP.
4. Like some small pets: ENCAGED. After being ENCAGED, the canary was ENrAGED so it ENgAGED an attorney.
5. "__ Misérables": LES. [Olympic nod #6. A French rendition of Do You Hear the People Sing? was in the Opening Ceremonies.]
6. Fit __ fiddle: AS A. Have you heard, "As fit as a brown trout"? Read more here.
7. Chinese region known as the "Las Vegas of Asia": MACAU. Vegas vs. Macau
8. Final golf shots, usually: PUTTS. [Olympic nod #7. "Golf first became an Olympic sport during the second edition of the modern Games, Paris 1900. It returned for the the 1904 Games in St. Louis, but then took a 112-year hiatus before finally returning to the Olympic program for Rio 2016." Golf Olympic History]
7. Chinese region known as the "Las Vegas of Asia": MACAU. Vegas vs. Macau
8. Final golf shots, usually: PUTTS. [Olympic nod #7. "Golf first became an Olympic sport during the second edition of the modern Games, Paris 1900. It returned for the the 1904 Games in St. Louis, but then took a 112-year hiatus before finally returning to the Olympic program for Rio 2016." Golf Olympic History]
9. Chitchat: CHIN-WAG. Merriam-Webster labels this word as "chiefly British" and "informal". It means "a friendly conversation."
10. Spotted bean or horse: PINTO. In the NE, we have PINTO crossing PINTA, which crossed the ATLANTIC.
11. Showing signs of life: ASTIR.
12. Rustic cabin: SHACK.
The B-52's ~ Love Shack ~ 1989
15. Pancake flipper: SPATULA.
17. Like items at a consignment store: USED.
21. Boy: LAD.
23. Lymph __: NODE.
24. Physicist Newton: ISAAC. I remember liking this book. I should re-read it.
25. Flat-bottomed barge: SCOW.
26. Heartfelt request: PLEA.
27. Actor James __ Jones: EARL. [Olympic nod #8. James Earl Jones narrated introductions to the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics.]
31. Sport in octagonal enclosures, for short: MMA. Mixed Martial Arts
32. Word before hero or power: SUPER.
34. Red, white, and __: 38-Across's colors: BLUE. [Olympic nod #9. These are the colors of the American flag.]
17. Like items at a consignment store: USED.
21. Boy: LAD.
23. Lymph __: NODE.
24. Physicist Newton: ISAAC. I remember liking this book. I should re-read it.
25. Flat-bottomed barge: SCOW.
26. Heartfelt request: PLEA.
27. Actor James __ Jones: EARL. [Olympic nod #8. James Earl Jones narrated introductions to the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics.]
31. Sport in octagonal enclosures, for short: MMA. Mixed Martial Arts
32. Word before hero or power: SUPER.
34. Red, white, and __: 38-Across's colors: BLUE. [Olympic nod #9. These are the colors of the American flag.]
I read once that "red, white, & blue" sounds odd to French people. They say, "blue, white, & red." Fair enough. 
35. Cargo capacity units: TONS.
36. Bow out: QUIT.
38. Athlete in lane four of an Olympic swim trial, for one: TOP SEED. [Olympic nod #10. An Olympic pool has eight lanes. Lane #4 is preferred because it has less wave resistance. The swimmer with the best time in the preliminary heats merits Lane#4 in the finals. Read more here.]
35. Cargo capacity units: TONS.
36. Bow out: QUIT.
38. Athlete in lane four of an Olympic swim trial, for one: TOP SEED. [Olympic nod #10. An Olympic pool has eight lanes. Lane #4 is preferred because it has less wave resistance. The swimmer with the best time in the preliminary heats merits Lane#4 in the finals. Read more here.]
39. Protein-rich bean: SOYA.
42. Percussionist's kit: DRUMSET. Putting kit in the clue waved us off the preferred DRUMkit.
44. No Doubt lead singer Gwen: STEFANI. Before she was on The Voice, Gwen was Just a Girl (1995), singing in a band called No Doubt.
46. Tarnish: MAR. like a reputation
48. Self-images: EGOS.
49. Church recesses: APSES.
 |
| The round part is an APSE as viewed from the outside. |
50. Spaghetti sauce brand: PREGO.
51. Shoptalk: LINGO.
52. All-important: VITAL.
 |
| a sign displaying human VITAL signs (Click to enlarge.) |
53. Tree with black wood: EBONY.
56. "Thanks __!": A LOT.
57. __ birth to: GAVE.
58. Cheese similar to Babybel snacks: EDAM.
62. French one: UNE. [Olympic nod #11. France is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.]
Here is the grid: 
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| I "picked" these Black-Eyed Susans for you. Enjoy your day! |
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