Out and Out. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase Out and Out probably originated in Middle English sometime between 1150 and 1500. Yeah, that's a pretty big spread of time. The further alleges that its earliest evidence of the phrase, however, is from about 1300. Go figure. At any rate, the word OUT can follow each of the two words in the theme answers to give us a new concept.
17-Across. * Martial arts achievement: BLACK BELT. Black Out / Belt Out A Black Out may either be a temporary loss of consciousness or a power outage. Belt Out means to sing a song loudly and forcefully.
 |
| Black Out |
23-Across. * Target range in sports betting: POINT SPREAD. Point Out / Spread Out. To Point Out is to direct someone's attention toward, especially by extending one's finger. Spread Out is to move items apart from each other, or to place over a large area. I spread out all my papers whenever I am working at my desk.
35-Across. * Toolmaking period when bronze was replaced with steel: IRON AGE. Iron Out / Age Out. To Iron Out is to resolve or settle differences. To Age Out is to reach an age where an individual is no longer part of a particular group or situation and must leave it. For example, a child may age out of foster care.
49-Across. * Simple drawing of a person: STICK FIGURE. Stick Out / Figure Out. To Stick Out is to be noticable. To attend a fancy gala wearing torn jeans will make you stick out. To Figure Out is to solve a problem.
And the unifier:
58-Across. Complete, or what can follow both parts of the answers to the starred clues: OUT AND OUT. Vocabulary.com defines Out-and-Out as "absolute" or "complete," often in a bad way. For example: What you just told me is an Out and Out lie.
Across:
1. Young fellow: LAD.
4. Did plenty of nothing: IDLED.
9. Firepit remains: ASHES.
14. "__ we good?": ARE.
15. Habitats threatened by coral bleaching:
REEFS. Everything you wanted to know about
Coral Bleaching. Did you know that most of the world's species of coral can be found in Australia's
Great Barrier Reef?
16. Large tree branch: BOUGH. This is a word found in a common childhood lullaby.
Rock a bye baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
19. Burn a bit: SINGE.
20. TV room fixture: SOFA.
21. Sheep sound: BAA.
22. Increased rapidly: SURGED.
26. Tuskegee __: WWII aviators:
AIRMEN. The
Tuskegee Airmen was a group of African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces.
28. Everything pizza, no anchovies, e.g.: ORDER.
29. Ushered through the door: LED IN.
30. Japanese sash that might be tied in tateya musubi style:
OBI. The
style of the knot in the
obi has symbolic meaning.
31. __ opera: SOAP. A soap opera, or daytime drama, is typically a long-running television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated in the 1930s from radio dramas that were originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers.
34. Dollop: GOB.
39. Clickable link: URL. The Uniform Resource Locator has become a crossword staple.
40. Freshly: ANEW.
42. __ de la Cité: Notre-Dame home: ÎLE. The Île de la Cité is one of two natural islands in the Seine, in central Paris. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of the area governor for the Roman Empire. In 508, Clovis I, the first King of the Franks, established his palace on the island. Construction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral began in 1163. Sadly, in April 2019, a fire destroyed much of the Cathedral. It has undergone massive reconstruction and is anticipated to reopen this December.
43. Not quite right: WONKY.
45. "Creed" actress Thompson: TESSA. I am not familiar with Tessa Thompson (née Tessa Lynne Thompson; b. Oct 3, 1983). Apparently, she began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company. Perhaps our friend Keith knew of her. She celebrated her 41st birthday just last week. [Name # 1.]
47. Atonement: AMENDS.
51. Red Icee flavor: CHERRY.
52. D.C. baseballer: NAT. As in the Washington Nationals.
53. Shows understanding: NODS.
57. Pushy crowd: HORDE.
60. Sub-par performance?: EAGLE. A golfing reference. Not as in a poor performance, but rather a score of two strokes under par on a hole. It's a significant accomplishment that demonstrates a golfer's skill and strategic thinking.
61. Controls one's food intake: DIETS.
62. San Diego __ Safari Park: ZOO.
63. Boxer Patterson: FLOYD. Floyd Patterson (Jan. 4, 1935 ~ May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title of world heavyweight champion. He was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it. [Name # 2.]
64. On the briny: AT SEA.
65. Clairvoyant's claim: ESP. As in ExtraSensory Perception.
Down:
1. Hands-on classes: LABS.
2. "Collapsed in Sunbeams" singer-songwriter Parks: ARLO. Arlo Parks (née Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, b. Aug. 9, 2000), is an English singer and songwriter. Collapsed in Sunbeams was her debut album. [Name # 3.]
3. Like one who might communicate in ASL or BSL:
DEAF. As in
American
Sign
Language and
British
Sign
Language. Two countries separated by a language. What's the
difference, you ask. ASL focuses more on facial expressions, while BSL relies more on hand and body movements.
4. Vex: IRK.
5. "Little" name in snack cakes:
DEBBIE. The history of the
Little Debbie snack cakes. [Name adjacent.]
6. Country singer Womack: LEE ANN. Lee Ann Womack (b. Aug. 19, 1966) is primarily a country singer, but some of her songs have crossed over to the pop music hits. [Name # 4.]
7. Note in the C minor scale: E FLAT.
8. "Spring forward" hrs.: DST. As in Daylight Saving Time.
9. Wildly impractical: ABSURD.
10. Swanky evening dos: SOIRÉES. Today's French lesson. A Soirée is just another way of saying a fancy evening affair.
11. Lingered: HUNG AROUND.
12. Goaded, with "on": EGGED.
13. Leave behind: SHED.
18. Blue Grotto island: CAPRI. The Blue Grotto is a sea cave on the coast of the island of Capri, southern Italy. Sunlight shining through an underwater cavity is reflected back upward through the seawater below the cavern, giving the water a blue glow that illuminates the cavern.
22. Rosemary piece: SPRIG. I grow Rosemary in my garden.
24. Prefix meaning "all": OMNI-. As in Omnipresent, which means everywhere.
25. Udon alternative:
SOBA. Both
Soba and Udon are Japanese noodles, but are made of different flours.
26. Ages and ages: AEON. Eon is the American version, while Aeon is the British version.
27. "That's my cue to leave": I'D BETTER GO.
29. Queens airport code:
LGA. As in LaGuardia Airport. It's the airport I generally use when I have to go into NYC. The
airport was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. The airport underwent a number of name changes. When it opened, it was known as the New York Air Terminal. Then, it became known as Glenn H Curtiss Airport. A few years later, it became known as North Beach Airport. In 1939, New York City took control of the airport and it became know as the New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field. Finally, in 1953, the airport was renamed La Guardia in honor of former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia (Dec. 11, 1882 ~ Sept. 20, 1947).
30. Dollar bill: ONE.
32. Torah chests: ARKs.
 |
| Torah Ark in the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam. |
33. Tissue layer: PLY.
36. Potentially disastrous: RISKY.
37. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF. Frozen is a Disney animated movie that is based on the fairy tale The Snow Queen. [Name # 5, fictional.]
38. Washbasin jug: EWER.
41. In an odd way: WEIRDLY.
44. Upturned: ONEND.
46. Bitter rant: SCREED. A Screed is a long speech or piece of writing, typically one regarded as tedious.
47. Stripy marbles: AGATES. This word appears with some frequency in the puzzles.
48. Have a life-changing experience?: MUTATE.
49. Mussel habitat:
SHOAL. We had Shoal in a recent Tuesday puzzle. The
Isles of Shoals are a group of Islands between Maine and New Hampshire.
50. Nunatsiavut people:
INUIT. The Nunatsiavummiut are the people of
Nunatsiavut, an autonomous region in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
51. Culinary institute grad: CHEF.
54. Move like slime: OOZE.
55. Pairs: DUOs.
56. "Enough!": STOP!
58. Tennis champion Tokito:
ODA. I do not follow tennis, so was not familiar with
Tokito Oda (b. May 8, 2006). He is a Japanese professional wheelchair tennis player. He has won four major singles titles. In 2023, he won the French Open, becoming the youngest man to win a major tennis tournament. [Name # 6.]
59. Govt. intel org.: NSA. As in the National Security Agency.
And the Grid:
Notes from C.C.:
Happy 83nd birthday to dear Jayce! Can't tell you what a comfort to read his comments all these years. Shēnɡrì Kuàilè, J!
 |
| Jayce and his wife on their wedding day |
