Themeless Saturday by Adrian Johnson and Victor Sloan
I had to fight through a blizzard of white cells to start, even though the clues seemed to be very reasonable. Eventually solving the "gettable" long fills became very helpful and I earned a "got 'er done!'.
Across:
1. __ dance: STEP - Here is some STEP dancing for you.
16. Carne __: ASADA - Spanish for roast meat. Those pesky Spanish speakers put the adjective second.
17. Snowball effect caused by lowered standards: RACE TO THE BOTTOM.
19. Untainted spots: EDENS.
20. Frequent Bosch subject: HELL - This is his most famous painting The Garden Of Earthly Delights. The left panel depicts heaven (previous clue/fill), the middle panel shows earthly delights and the right hand panel shows hell, where humanity is punished for succumbing to those earthly delights.
21. Info on a political rival: OPPO - "Research" on an OPPOnent can be very unfair and using this tactic would cease if it did not work. Facts can be stretched or manufactured like this one.
Ad that ran in Nebraska's Second District race this fall
22. Mauveine, for one: DYE - Another name for mauve.
23. Western Greek island: CORFU.
24. Deserters: RATS.
25. Ruckus: ADO - A list I found rated this word as #10 on the most used crossword answers. Oreo came in at #39.
27. Paul who's the only inductee of both the Rock & Roll and National Inventors halls of fame: LES - Musician, inventor and song writer LES Paul examines one of his Gibson LES Paul models with another pretty famous musician and song writer.
29. Actor Stephen from 51-Across: REA and 51. Stormont locale: NORTHERN IRELAND - Stormont is the building in REA's hometown of Belfast that houses the unicameral government of NORTHERN IRELAND
30. Bit of redundancy in a Yogi Berra quip: WRONG MISTAKES - Yogi also said, "I really didn't say all the things I said"
34. William, since 2022: PRINCE OF WALES.
35. Dismissive comment after a hot take: SAID NO ONE EVER.
36. Finesse: ART.
37. Positive course feedback?: YUM 😀
38. Some, in Somme: DES - Je veux DES pommes (I want some apples)
39. Chorus part: LA LA - A great 60's song with lots of LA LA's. What's not to like?
41. Knot again: RETIE - Not for me anymore
44. __ Louise Huxtable, winner of the first Pulitzer Prize for Criticism: ADA - From The New Yorker Magazine about architecture critic ADA.
ADA Louis Huxtable already doesn't like it.
47. Apple with multiple cores: IMAC 😀 This Apple guy was not fooled for a minute.
48. Instant Pot dish: STEW - This would have fit right in on our 12/4/24 puzzle on fast foods
49. Inflexible: RIGID - Penny? No. Sheldon? Yup.
54. Maintain: ARGUE.
55. "Just fate, I guess": IT'S KISMET - A hypothetical force or power that determines the course of future event. It was KISMET that I found this site. 😀
56. Percolates: SEEPS.
57. Pacific salmon: COHO.
58. Candy bar with a bubbly texture: AERO.
Down:
1. Unit of decency?: SHRED.
2. Suck-up: TOADY.
3. One making introductions: EMCEE.
4. Hammer part: PEEN.
Hammer with a claw Hammer with a PEEN
5. Bruno of "Encanto," for one: TIO - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
6. GroundClear and WeedClear maker: ORTHO.
7. Bitcoin alternative, familiarly: ETHER - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Here ya go
8. Last time: SHELF LIFE 😀
9. Yin-yang principle: TAO.
10. "The Great Lie" Oscar winner Mary: ASTOR - Can you find Mary in the credits?
11. "Movement in Black" poet: PAT PARKER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
12. Some rescues: ADOPTEES - I'd want to take them all
13. Turnovers served with chutney: SAMOSAS.
15. Band also known as the Bangtan Boys: BTS - Wow, we are seeing these boys a lot here!
18. "Hooked on a Feeling" hitmakers: BLUE SWEDE - I was singing this all through but could not fit BJ Thomas in the cells. This group had a hit covering BJ's hit.
23. Open space: CONCOURSE 😀
25. Like xeric landscapes: ARID - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
26. Osmond who won Season 9 of "Dancing With the Stars": DONNY.
18. Flat sea urchin: SAND QUARTER. Instead of sand DOLLAR.
29. Period covered in a midterm exam, maybe: ACADEMIC DIME. Instead of an academic QUARTER. When I was in college, a midterm exam covered the first half of an academic quarter. I suppose an academic dime is a little less than half.
45. Tattles (on): DROPS A NICKEL. Instead of drops a DIME. "Drop a dime" is an idiom that means to inform on or betray someone, especially to the authorities.
57. Dense, dark rye bread: PUMPER PENNY. Instead of pumperNICKEL.
And the reveal ...
36. Form of downsizing, and what has affected 18-, 29-, 45-, and 57-Across?: SHRINKFLATION. Shrinkflation is a business practice by which a company reduces the size or quantity of a product while keeping the price the same. Fewer Cheerios in the Cheerios box. The value of your DOLLAR is now a QUARTER.
On to more ... or less!
Across:
1. Makeup of an oyster bed?: ICE. Raw oysters are stored and served on crushed ice.
4. Ordering aid: MENU.
8. Superlatively smart: WISEST.
14. Sanskrit honorific: SRI. In India, Sri is a title of respect used before the name of a man, a god, or a sacred book.
15. Second word in many fairy tales: UPON. Once upon a time ...
16. Member of the Seven Council Fires: OGLALA. The Oglala are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Seven Council Fires.
Thomas White Face, Oglala Lakota, 1899.
17. Ducked, maybe: HID.
18. [Theme clue]
20. Mouth-puckering: TART.
22. Mate mate?: SOUL. DH is my soul mate. Or perhaps, my better half.
23. Altar answer: I DO. That's essentially what I said to DH! But it was more like, "Behold, by this ring you are made holy unto me."
Best day ever.
24. Small storage unit: KILOBIT. A unit of computer memory or data equal to 1,024 (2¹Âº) bits. Kilobytes measure storage capacity or data size, while kilobits measure data transfer rates or transmission speeds. I'm sure you knew this, but I sure didn't!
26. Assumes: ADOPTS. "Adopt" in the sense of "assume" means to take on or accept something as your own, like an idea, attitude, or position.
29. [Theme clue]
31. Cap: LID. What do caps and lids conjure up for you?
Caps and lids ... or caps and lids?
32. Hosp. ward: ICU. Intensive Care Unit in a hospital. Abbreviation in the clue calls for abbreviation in the answer.
33. South Indian rice cake: IDLI. Crossword cuisine.
Idli
36. [Theme reveal]
41. __ squeeze: MAIN. Uh, oh. TMI today about DH!
42. Peaty wetland: FEN.
43. Singular: ONE.
45. [Theme clue]
50. Fresh air, say: BREEZE.
52. "Maybe give it a pass": NO STARS. A no star rating is a rating that indicates there is no redeeming quality about something. A reviewer might say "maybe give it a pass" about a bad movie or museum.
54. Flying start?: AERO. A Greek prefix relating to flight and air, as in aerodynamics and aeroplane (British for airplane).
56. Graphic __: ARTS. The graphic arts include drawing, painting, photography, and printmaking -- all of which are produced on flat surfaces -- and are often associated with visual communication and advertising.
57. [Theme clue]
61. Vote for: YEA. As opposed to nay. In a sensible language, these would be yea and nea, or yae and nae, or yay and nay.
63. Wet weather wear: ANORAK. A usually pullover hooded jacket long enough to cover the hips.
64. Reddit Q&As: AMAS. Reddit AMAs (which stands for “Ask Me Anything”) are Q&As designed to bring an authority on a subject to a community of interested people. News to me.
65. Stale, in a way: OLD.
66. Names on some college buildings: DONORS.
67. Toy brand with a 3,955-piece "Home Alone" set: LEGO. The level of detail in this set is astonishing.
68. Phenomenon that may be explained by NASA: UFO. Unidentified Flying Object (commonly abbreviated as UFO) is the popular term for any apparent aerial phenomenon whose cause cannot be easily or immediately identified by the observer.
Down:
1. In a way: ISH. The suffix "-ish" is used to form adjectives from nouns or other adjectives to indicate an approximation.
2. Pulitzer category since 1970: CRITICISM. The Pulitzer Prize for Criticism has been presented since 1970 to a newspaper writer in the United States who has demonstrated "distinguished criticism."
3. Muslim festival that precedes the Tashreeq days: EID AL-ADHA. Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is one of the two main holidays in Islam. The Days of Tashreeq are the three days after Eid al-Adha.
4. "There's no other explanation": MUST BE.
5. AQI monitor: EPA. The Air Quality Index is the Environmental Protection Agency's tool for communicating about outdoor air quality and health.
6. Like some cookware: NONSTICK.
7. Take back: UNDO.
8. Eager agreement: WOULD I. DH: Would you marry me? Me: Would I?! (Not the actual words that were uttered. Proposal-ISH.)
9. Grocery store franchise based in Chicago: IGA. The Independent Grocers Alliance was founded in 1926 to bring family owned, local grocery stores together under the IGA brand.
10. Shutterbug's initials: SLR. A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) typically uses a mirror and prism system that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. I like to point my SLR at birds in the backyard.
Yellow-rumped Warbler, a fall and winter resident in my Los Angeles garden.
11. Hit the deck: EAT IT. "Hit the deck" means to suddenly fall to the ground, usually to avoid danger. One meaning of "eat it" is to fall down.
12. Para ice hockey gear: SLEDS. Para ice hockey is an adaptation of ice hockey for players who have a lower body physical disability. A specialized sled (or sledge) is substituted for skates.
A para ice hockey player handling the puck.
13. Boba tea flavor: TARO. Taro root has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor with vanilla undertones that goes well with the milk, sugar, and black tea used to make boba tea. Or so I've read! I'm not a fan of the tapioca bubbles (AKA pearls, AKA boba) in boba tea.
19. Campus square: QUAD. In architecture, a quadrangle (or colloquially, a quad) is a space or a courtyard, usually rectangular, the sides of which are mainly occupied by parts of a large building, or several smaller buildings. Often associated with college campuses.
The original quad at UCLA is bordered by the first four campus buildings, dating to 1929:
the Library, Royce Hall, the Physics Building and the Chemistry Building. Pictured here is Royce Hall.
21. Staff: ROD. Psalm 23:4 speaks of God as a good shepherd: "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." The shepherd's rod warded off predators; the staff (with a hook on one end) was used to gently guide the sheep. Although the two English words are sometimes equated, that is probably an error. At least in this instance, the Hebrew text uses two distinct words.
24. Actor Penn: KAL. Kalpen Suresh Modi, known professionally as Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, and former White House staff member in the Barack Obama administration.
Kal Penn
25. "Name the time and place": I'M IN.
27. Conveniently forget, maybe: OMIT.
28. Treatment for tootsies: PEDI. A pedicure makes your toes pretty.
30. Results of rolling up one's sleeves?: CUFFS.
34. "Great job, friend!": LOOK AT YOU.
35. Private parts?: INNER SELF. Ha ha!
37. Roller coaster, e.g.: RIDE.
38. Subject line phrase: IN RE. In re, Latin for "in the matter [of]," is a term with several different meanings. I always assumed it meant "in regard to ...."
39. Bill Withers hit that begins, "Sometimes in our lives / We all have pain": LEAN ON ME. What a great song!
40. Civilization-building video game series set in various years: ANNO. Did not know this, but guessed the name, since "anno" is Latin for "in the year."
44. Half of roll call: ELS. The letter L (spelled "el") constitutes half of the letters in "roll call."
46. Range whose highest point is Wahzhazhe Summit: OZARKS. The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, is a region in the states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as the southeastern corner of Kansas.
47. Marshmallow treat: PEEP.
These do not look like good eats.
48. "It's my decision": I SAY SO. Did your parents give you this answer to "Why?"
49. QB feeder: CTR. Football *and* abbreviations!
50. "Encanto" uncle: BRUNO. I saw the 2021 animated film by Walt Disney Studios, but had to guess at this character's name.
51. Rodriguez of "Will Trent": RAMON. Ramón RodrÃguez is a Puerto Rican actor known for his current role as the title character in the ABC series Will Trent. Well, known to some -- not to me!
Ramón RodrÃguez
53. Apple tablet: IPAD.
55. Honest-to-goodness: REAL.
58. Major leaguer: PRO. A member of a major-league baseball team is a PROfessional ball player.
59. Maize unit: EAR. Corny!
60. Remind repeatedly, say: NAG. Dr. Laura Schlessinger says not to do this to our Dear Husbands.
62. Fuss: ADO. Nagging DH would constitute Much Ado About Nothing.
Here's the grid:
I had one bad cell in the solve, thanks to that small storage unit at 24 Across.
Darryl Gonzales presents us with a simple theme: 4 entries clued with MARS, each filled with a different meaning for the word.
20. MARS: ROMAN GOD OF WAR. Here's Gustav Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War from his tone poem The Planets. IMHO the sound tracks of a lot of contemporary SciFi flicks borrow heavily from this piece ...
34. MARS: CANDY COMPANY. Mars Inc. is an American multinational manufacturer most famous for the confectionery items that it manufactures, such as Mars bars, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way bars, M&Ms, Skittles, Snickers, Twix, and Bounty ...
41. MARS: DOES DAMAGE TO.
56. MARS: MUSICIAN BRUNO. Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for singing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. Here's his Today My Life Begins ... Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Places to retire: BEDS.
5. Passage on a floor plan: HALL.
9. "Yellowstone" actor Hauser: COLE. Thank you perps. Cole Kenneth Hauser (born March 22, 1975) is an American actor. He currently stars as Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network western drama series Yellowstone.
Cole Hauser
13. Egress: EXIT. One of the attractions of P.T. Barnum's American Museum was called "The Egress", a practical joke on his visitors in order to overcome crowding in the museum. There were signs all over the museum pointing to a door that led to it. When visitors entered it they found that they had EXITED the museum and had to pay the admission fee again to get back in!
14. Medicinal succulents: ALOES.
16. Grape shape: OVAL.
17. Pietà spot: APSE. I filled ROME for this at first, as ST. PETER'S is too long. The statue is in an APSE, the Chapel of the Pietà , one of the first things you see when you enter the Cathedral thru the right doors.
18. Gloria's "Sunset Boulevard" role: NORMA. Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American black comedy starring William Holden as Joe Gillis, a struggling screenwriter, and Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a former silent-film star who draws him into her deranged fantasy world, where she dreams of making a triumphant return to the screen ...19. Card collection: DECK.
20. [Theme clue].
23. Many prime time offerings: DRAMAS.
24. Recent beginning: NEO.
25. Banana Boat letters: SPF. Sun Protection Factor. The clue is also a hit song by Harry Belafonte ...
28. Stall kin: STY.
29. Mary Oliver work: POEM. Mary Jane Oliver (September 10, 1935 – January 17, 2019) was an American poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. She found inspiration for her work in nature and had a lifelong habit of solitary walks in the wild. Her poetry is characterized by wonderment at the natural environment, vivid imagery, and unadorned language. Here she reads her poem Wild Geese ...
46. Gamer's virtual persona: AVATAR. This word originated in Sanskrit and has several other meanings beside the one in gaming -- but this one is a god who likes to play games ...
62. Corleone brother: SONNY. Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and its 1972 film adaptation.
Sonny Corleone played by James Caan
63. Caspian Sea country: IRAN. Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Turkey to the northwest and Iraq to the west, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Caspian Sea, and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south.
65. Incan carving: TOTEM. On Peru’s central coast, an ornately carved totem was venerated across centuries of upheaval and conquest.
The Idol of the Painted Temple
66. Actress Blanchett: CATE. Catherine Élise Blanchett AC (born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and film producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognized for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. Blanchett has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. She is perhaps most widely known for her role as Galadriel, the Queen of the Elves in the Peter Jackson film trilogy The Lord of the Rings. In this extended scene she lets Frodo look into her mirror to see what might happen in the future ...
67. Is in debt: OWES. In danger of a REPO?
68. Brings along for the ride: TOWS. Or the result of REPOS.
69. Those in favor: AYES.
Down:
1. Consequences of lengthening shadows: BEARDS. Clever!
2. Ship out: EXPORT.
3. Appall: DISMAY.
4. Iron output: STEAM.
5. Doesn't let go: HANGS ON.
6. __ gobi: vegetarian dish: ALOO. Potatoes, cauliflower, and spices. Here's a recipe.
Aloo Gobi
7. "Oh __, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?": LORD. This hit by Janice Joplin is one of the more creative clues for this fill ...
8. Piccata need: LEMON. Piccata sauce is made using pan drippings; lemon juice and white wine or chicken stock are added and reduced. Chopped parsley and often capers are added; sometimes also shallots or garlic. After reduction, butter is stirred in to finish the sauce. It is often garnished with slices of lemon. Here's a recipe for white fish piccata.
White fish piccata
9. 2021 Marlee Matlin film that won Best Picture: CODA. Children of Deaf Adults. Here's the trailer ... 10. Wear out one's welcome: OVERSTAY.
11. Fond du __, Wisconsin: LAC. Today's French Lesson: "At the bottom of the lake", so named because of its location at the bottom (south end) of Lake Winnebago.
12. Yellowstone buglers: ELK. Here's 50 seconds of an Elk brass section (IMHO they sound more like woodwinds😀) ...
15. Seattle-based insurance giant: SAFECO. Safeco Insurance is an American insurance company based in Seattle. A subsidiary of Liberty Mutual, Safeco provides auto insurance, homeowners insurance, and liability insurance. The company name is an acronym for Selective Auto and Fire Ensurance Company of America, or SAFECO (i.e., S.A.F.E. Co.)
21. Auto parts chain that's also a NASCAR sponsor: NAPA. The National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA), also known as NAPA Auto Parts, founded in 1925, is an American retailers' cooperative distributing automotive replacement parts, accessories, and service items throughout North America.
22. Fish dinner?: WORM. Eat or be eaten? 😀
26. The Quakers of the Ivies: PENN. The University of Pennsylvania (commonly known as PENN) is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The association with the Quakers derives from the founder of the original colony, the influential Quaker William Penn.
Read Without Vain Manners
27. Leather boot brand: FRYE. Thank you perps.
30. Answer to the riddle "What cheese is made backward?": EDAM. A cute meta clue. 😀
31. Shiny balloon material: MYLAR. MYLAR is one of several trade names for BoPET (biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical stability, dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, and electrical insulation. These balloons go for about a buck a pop on Amazon ...
Mylar Balloons
33. Lhasa __: APSO. I always used to think that these creatures were just furry lizards with a ganglion. But it turns out that Lhasa Apsos are a lavishly coated, thousand-year-old breed who served as sentinels at palaces and monasteries isolated high in the Himalayas. Smart, confident, and complex, Lhasas are family comedians but regally aloof with strangers.
Lhasa Apso
34. "__ magnifique!": CEST. Today's French lesson: "It's beautiful!"
35. Pet store enclosure: CAGE. Also the name of a musician: John Cage. Here's a performance of his most famous composition 4'33". Here it's played on the piano, but it can be played on any instrument or combination of instruments. Itis a unique work in a unique genre -- what might be called "non-performance art". You could call it soundless, but if you listen really carefully you can hear the blood coursing through your brain 😀... 36. Robert Newton Peck's "__ No Pigs Would Die": A DAY. A Day No Pigs Would Die is a semi-autobiographical novel by Robert Newton Peck about Rob Peck, a boy coming of age in rural Vermont on an impoverished farm. Originally published in 1972, it is one of the first books to be categorized as young adult fiction, in addition to being Peck's first novel.
37. __ Scotia: NOVA.
38. Dugout sharer: TEAM MATE.
42. Speaker's platform: DAIS.
43. Top drawer?: ARTIST. We've been watching the Ken Burns' PBS documentary on Leonardo da Vinci and he is quite simply the TDOAT ("Top Drawer Of All Time). Don't miss it! ...
44. Watt and Ohm, e.g.: EPONYMS. An EPONYM is a person, place, or thing that something else is named after. Watts (symbol: W) are a measure of power -- how fast work is done or energy is given from one thing to another, e.g. the conversion of electricity to light in a light bulb. Watts are named in honor of James Watt, who developed another unit of energy transfer called horsepower -- 1 HP = 745.7WATTS.
An Ohm is a unit of electrical resistance to current flow, as defined by Ohm's Law. The unit is named for German physicist Georg Simon Ohm who first defined it.
Georg Simon Ohm 16 March 1789 – 6 July 1854
45. Valley of the Kings find: TOMB. The Valley of the Kings is an area in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth Dynasty, rock-cut tombs were excavated for pharaohs and powerful nobles under the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt.
Panorama of the valley, looking north
48. Video format: BLU-RAY. Blu-ray is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-definition video (HDTV 720p and 1080p).
49. 100-member group: SENATE. The current membership of the US Senate is defined by the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution, which apportions 2 senators from each state selected by popular vote.
50. More than apologizes (for): ATONES. What can you do when ATONEMENT is impossible ...?
53. "Get!": SCOOT.
55. Writer Jong: ERICA. The author of the controversial 1973 novel Fear of Flying.
Theme - We are in our Salad Day. [appropriately, in GREEN]. Lettuce continue down to the theme fill, each one indicated with an "*".
8. *Salute in ancient Rome: HAIL CAESAR. More or less "Long live the King!" maybe.
14. *Scary Halloween venue: HAUNTED HOUSE. A house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the property. Or, as in this case, a more normal structure decorated to simulate one, for scary amusement.
21. *Vacation spot with horses: DUDE RANCH. A vacation resort offering activities (such as horseback riding) typical of western ranches.
Anybody remember these guys?
27. *Irish novelist who writes the "Dublin Murder Squad" series: TANA FRENCH. Somehow, I suspect the French [relating to France or its people or language] is not a common name in Ireland.
And the unifier: 19. Severe scolding, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have?: DRESSING DOWN. An acute verbal reprimand for some real or imagined wrong-doing.
What each of the indicated two-word answers have in common is that each of the second words indicated a type of salad DRESSING. CAESAR DRESSING is mayonnaise based, with anchovies, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. HOUSE DRESSING this time of year could mean Christmas decorations for the home, but, in the kitchen is probably some variation on an oil and vinegar combination. RANCH DRESSING, when it's not chaps, spurs and a cowboy hat, is a mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, lemon juice and a secret blend of herbs and spices. FRENCH DRESSING is a mixture of oil, vinegar, tomato puree and other flavorings.
Hi Gang, Jazzbumpa here to get things started. Note the gimmick in the theme. The unifier gives the clue that the theme fill will will be oriented in the down direction. With the salad now behind us, let's move on the the main course.
Across:
1. Gratuity: TIP. An extra payment made to a wait person or other service provider to supplement their normal wage.
4. Common London weather: FOG. A thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface which obscures or restricts visibility (to a greater extent than mist; strictly, reducing visibility to below 1 km).
7. __ moment: AHA. The instant one comes to a new revelation.
10. Feathery accessory: BOA. A long, thin decorative scarf or stole made of feathers or a similar material.
13. Burdened by debt: IN A HOLE. As defined.
15. Competed in a turkey trot: RAN. Participated in a walking or running even on Thanksgiving morning. These are ususally 5 or 10 kilometers.
16. Piercing tool that resembles a screwdriver: AWL. A small pointed tool used for piercing holes, especially in leather.
17. Musical set at the Kit Kat Klub: CABARET. Cabaret is an American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff. It is based on the 1951 play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten, which in turn was based on the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. Also, it is a 1972 American musical period drama film directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse from a screenplay by Jay Presson Allen, based on the stage musical of the same name
18. Way of thinking: MINDSET. The established set of attitudes held by someone.
20. Spared no expense: SPLURGED. Spent freely or extravagantly.
22. Border city on the Rio Grande: LAREDO. A city in the U.S. state of Texas and seat of Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a village to the capital of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande to the largest inland port on the Mexican border. Laredo's economy is primarily based on international trade with Mexico, and as a major hub for three areas of transportation: land, rail, and air cargo.
23. Distinguishing feature of some languages: TONE. In tonal languages, pitch is a property of words, and the relative pitch is more important than the absolute pitch. For example, in Mandarin, the word "ma" can have four different meanings depending on its pitch.
24. __ shirt: MUSCLE. A close-fitting, sleeveless or short-sleeved shirt that is designed to accentuate the wearer's physique
26. Skin art, for short: TAT. Tattoo, for long - a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design.
28. Anti-narcotics org.: DEA. Drug Enforcement Agency
29. Barter: SWAP. Trade an item or items for another or others.
33. 2023 Academy Honorary Award recipient Bassett: ANGELA. Angela Evelyn Bassett [b. 1958] is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television since the 1980s, she has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards.
36. WSW opposite: ENE. Directional indications, 45 degrees off of the compass's cardinal points
37. Goalie's success: SAVE. Stopping the launched missile from entering the goal in sports such as soccer and hockey.
38. British nobleman: LORD. A title given to a member of the peerage, a social class of nobles that includes dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons
39. Big name in tiny candies: NERDS. Crunchy, neon-colored American candies that come in a variety of flavors and are known for their moon rock shape
41. Curling __: IRON. A tool used to change the arrangement of the hair using heat. There are three general kinds: curling irons, used to make the hair curl; straightening irons, commonly called straighteners or flat irons, used to straighten the hair; and crimping irons, used to create crimps of the desired size in the hair.
42. Four Corners state: UTAH. The Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states, leading to the area being named the Four Corners region
43. "Sex Education" actor Butterfield: ASA. Asa Bopp Farr Butterfield [b. 1997] is an English actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, Butterfield first achieved recognition as the lead of the historical drama film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
44. "Advancing the power of facts" journalism website: A P NEWS. The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news agency that supplies news to newspapers, radio, and television stations. It's known for its fast and reliable reporting, and is considered a trusted source of accurate information.
46. Office 34-Down: MEMO. A usually brief written message from one person or department in an organization, company, etc., to another
47. Fair-weather __: FAN. Someone who only actively supports a team or person when they are winning or performing well, losing interest when the team starts to struggle or face setbacks. In contrast are long suffering fans, like me, whose team [The Lions] has been mired in mediocrity or worse since 1957, now scarcely able to believe what they are seeing.
48. Rule, for short: REG. Regulation.
49. Lars of Metallica: ULRICH. Lars Ulrich R [b.1963] is a Danish musician who is the drummer and a founding member of American heavy metal band Metallica. Along with James Hetfield, Ulrich has songwriting credits on almost all of the band's songs, and the two of them are the only remaining original members of the band.
52. Throws in: ADDS. Speaks up in conversation, or contributes to an activity
55. Kind of paper in a gift bag: TISSUE. A thin gauzy paper used especially for protecting something (as by covering or wrapping.)
58. Long, relaxing baths: HOT SOAKS. Self evident.
61. Works a summer office job, perhaps: INTERNS. Said of a student or trainee who works, sometimes without pay, at a trade or occupation in order to gain work experience. Granddaughter Samantha has interned at Disney World and two local organizations in northern Michigan. She recently landed a sales job at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City.
63. Scout who may sell cookies: BROWNIE. A member of the junior branch of the Girl Scouts, for girls aged between about 6 and 8.
64. Hotshot: ACE. One who is highly skilled in a particular endeavor.
65. Green prefix: ECO-. Not harmful to the environment.
66. ID checker at a nightclub: BOUNCER. A person employed by a nightclub or similar establishment to prevent troublemakers from entering or to eject them from the premises.
67. Tool with teeth: SAW. A hand tool for cutting wood or other materials, typically with a long, thin serrated steel blade and operated using a backward and forward movement.
68. Camera __: SHY. Unwilling to be photographed.
69. Casual affirmative: YUP. Un-huh.
70. Historic time: ERA. An important or outstanding period of history. Or something about Taylor Swift
Down:
1. Nervous twitches: TICS. An idiosyncratic and often non-voluntary and habitual feature of a person's behavior, or spasmidic muscle contraction.
2. Not fitting: INAPT. Inappropriate.
3. 2012 World Series MVP Sandoval: PABLO. Pablo Emilio Sandoval Reyes (b. 1986) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball third baseman for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. Nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda", Sandoval is a two-time All-Star and has won three World Series championships with the Giants. He hit three home runs in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, becoming the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game, leading to his being named that year's World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP).
4. "You're not making this up?": FOR REAL?. Expression of surprise and/or disbelief.
5. Designer Cassini: OLEG. Oleg Cassini [1913 - 2006] was a fashion designer born to an aristocratic Russian family with maternal Italian ancestry. He came to the United States as a young man after starting as a designer in Rome, and quickly got work with Paramount Pictures. Cassini established his reputation by designing for films.
6. "Don't let the thieves escape!": GET 'EM. Capture those miscreants!
7. Cup holder locale, perhaps: ARM. As in a piece of furniture.
9. Record of the year?: ANNAL. Annals are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year. Or, as indicated here, within a year.
10. Acid counterpart: BASE. A counterpart is a person or thing holding a position or performing a function that corresponds to that of another person or thing in another place. However, an acid and a base will neutralize each other. They are opposites.
11. Carried debt: OWED. Had a financial obligation to another person or entity.
12. Voice above tenor: ALTO. From the top down, they are soprano, also, tenor and bass.
25. Button that may submit an online form: SEND. It's function is transmit a message or document to a recipient.
30. Spy follower?: WARE. Spyware is software that enables a user to obtain covert information about another's computer activities by transmitting data covertly from their hard drive. I dislike this kind of self-referential clue.
31. Declare bluntly: AVOW. Assert or confess openly.
32. Pilot gear?: PENS. I guess this refers to PENS made by the Japanese company Pilot.
33. Grad: ALUM. One who graduated from a learning institution.
34. Short message: NOTE. Or MEMO, maybe?
35. Unit on a kitchen scale: GRAM. A metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram. 28.3485 grams equal 1 oz.
40. Actor Morales: ESAI. Esai Manuel Morales Jr. [b.1962] is an American actor. He has had notable roles in the films Bad Boys with Sean Penn and La Bamba with Lou Diamond Phillips.
45. Thick 4-Across metaphor: PEA SOUP. Because it is thick and opaque.
50. Tackle box supply: LURES. Artificial objects used to catch fish by attracting them with the appearance of prey
51. Solving crosswords, for some: HOBBY. An activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
53. Destination after a promposal: DANCE. A prom is a formal dance for high school or college students.
54. Slalom competitor: SKIER. A slalom is a ski race down a winding course marked by flags or poles.
55. Aunts in la familia: TIAS. En Español.
56. Peru native: INCA. The Incas were an advanced civilization that ruled a large empire in the Andes Mountains of South America from approximately 1200 to 1533 AD.
57. Seethe: STEW. Cooking terms involving boiling or simmering liquids, also used to indicate intense anger.
59. Pants, in slang: TROU. Short for trousers.
60. Word sung twice after "Que" in a classic song: SERA. Whatever will be will be.
62. __ sauce: SOY. A sauce made with fermented soybeans, used in Chinese and Japanese cooking. I saw a quip recently, saying that it might just be sauce introducing itself in Spanish, since "Soy" in Spanish means "I am."
And so we end on that bit of silliness. Hope you enjoyed the meal and got through it without choking. What - no dessert? You know I would never desert you.
And thanks for all the Birthday wishes on Sunday. You guys are the best!
I had to fight through a blizzard of white cells to start, even though the clues seemed to be very reasonable. Eventually solving the "gettable" long fills became very helpful and I earned a "got 'er done!'.
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