Themeless Saturday by Annemarie Brethauer and Katie Hale
Annemarie worked for twenty years at a local government access channel as a writer/director/producer and was also used to being strictly behind the camera (Documentaries like "Know Your Zoning Code."). She is now retired and freelancing as a puzzle creator.
Katie Hale, originally from Houston, is now a stay-at-home mom in London and Patti's assistant editor for the LA Times puzzles. We have seen her in a collaborative role quite often. In fact, this is my fourth Saturday Themeless collaboration with these two constructors.
After a run of very difficult solves, this one proved to be much easier and fun to do although some of the cluing...
Across:
1. Skip-the-line status: TSA PRE - No hint of abbreviation
7. Ambulatory access: APSE - New use of ambulatory for me. It can be a noun denoting the passageway used to access an APSE
11. Out of sorts: OFF.
14. Wartime partners: ALLIES - In 1945, I doubt my dad and uncles would ever have perceived that Germany and Japan would become our ALLIES and Russia would not
15. "Golda" subject: MEIR.
16. Links target: PAR.
17. Heckles: BOOS AT.
18. Taylor Swift hit that begins, "I have this thing where I get older, but just never wiser": ANTI HERO.
20. Take revenge: SETTLE OLD SCORES - Do politicians really do this? 🤔
22. Base runner's assertion: I'M SAFE - Shohei Ohtani pleads his case
23. Whac-A-Mole move: BASH.
24. First name in boxing: LAILA.
27. Penalty area in rugby, familiarly: SIN BIN.
30. Mantra sounds: OMS.
31. Sleeve element, for short: TAT - Howard and Raj got fake, slip-on TATS on Big Bang Theory to attract goth girls
33. Mexican-inspired casserole: TACO PIE - or a Frito Pie
37. Tusked pinniped: WALRUS.
39. Full-bodied: ROBUST.
40. "Ta-ta!": CHEERIO.
42. Disco guy on "The Simpsons": STU.
43. Univ. that sends acceptances on Pi Day: MIT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but interesting
44. Turn down: REFUSE - Henry turned down a famous role that went to John
46. Tibet's capital: LHASA - McDonalds took its business to new heights at this restaurant in LHASA at an elevation of 12,123'
48. Title fellow in a 1922 Broadway hit: ABIE.
51. Spanish store: TIENDA.
"I want a bag "What color?"
53. Competition for queens: RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE.
59. Wade Wilson's alter ego: DEADPOOL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
60. "Shaun of the Dead" genre: ZOM COM - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A zombie comedy
61. Terminate: END.
62. Hill partner: DALE - Before the U.S. Army used the phrase...
63. "Take a chill pill!": COOL IT -
64. Figs.: NOS.
65. FanDuel list: ODDS - Here's how FanDuel sees the betting on today's Pinstripe Bowl. The Huskers are a 2.5 pt. favorite. On the Moneyline, you have to bet $132 straight up to win $100.
66. Makes invalid: ANNULS - Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman had their Las Vegas post-partying marriage ANNULLED nine days later
Down:
1. Window openings: TABS 😀 I always have too many open
2. Blackthorn: SLOE.
3. Lazy answer to "How many stars are in the sky?": A LOT.
4. Ovary plus stigma plus style: PISTIL.
5. Response to a puerile joke: REAL MATURE.
6. Newbery Medal winner Eleanor: ESTES ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
7. Coastal town at the foot of Monte Cerreto: AMALFI.
8. Suspended: PENDENT.
9. Gets ready to drive: SITS.
10. NFL Hall of Fame running back Dickerson: ERIC.
$550
11. Work traditionally performed without microphones: OPERA 😊
12. Uber passengers: FARES.
13. Ninth grader: FROSH.
19. Mix (with): HOBNOB.
21. Brewery kiln: OAST.
24. Note played by covering every hole on a recorder: LOW C - We called them tonettes when I was in school
25. Eastern nanny: AMAH.
26. __ of Man: ISLE.
28. Syst. that connects to Caltrain: BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit connects at Millbrae, CA.
29. "Do you need more reasons?": I COULD GO ON.
32. "Please.": AS IF.
34. Big cat: PUMA.
35. Goddess of the Pyramid Texts: ISIS - Four letter goddess and pyramids, hmmm...
36. "Don't Go to Strangers" singer Jones: ETTA.
38. Go over again: REREAD.
41. Won an ad war, perhaps: OUTSOLD.
42. Fortuneteller: SEER.
45. Crab-walks: SIDLES.
47. "NCIS: Origins" narrator Mark: HARMON.
48. Elizabeth of cosmetics: ARDEN.
49. "¡Qué __!": BUENO - How nice! In Español
50. Procreate devices: I-PADS - 😀 For amateurs too!
52. South American culture known for geoglyphs: NAZCA - 2,000-yr-old lines that have to be seen from the air to be comprehended
Gary Larson and Amy Ensz have placed five OBVIOUS theme clues symmetrically throughout the grid. The first word of each answer is a synonym for OBVIOUS.
The theme clues and answers (all Across) are:
15. Casino employee, obviously?: PLAIN DEALER. PLAIN is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "It is PLAIN to me that the readers of this blog enjoy crossword puzzles." A DEALER is a casino employee who runs games by distributing cards and managing chips. A PLAIN DEALER is a person who interacts with others honestly and openly.
23. Natural pillow stuffing, obviously?: MARKED DOWN. MARKED is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "There is a MARKED difference between summer and winter temperatures." DOWN is a layer of fine feathers found under the exterior feathers of birds, often used as pillow stuffing. MARKED DOWN is a phrase that means reduced in price.
34. Actor Jude's offspring, obviously?: PATENT LAW. PATENT is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "He told a PATENT lie." LAW is the surname of actor Jude Law. PATENT LAW is a legal framework providing exclusive rights to inventors.
48. Honorific, obviously?: CLEAR TITLE. CLEAR is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "It is CLEAR to me that the theme answers are humorous double entendres." TITLE can refer to an honoric, like "Mr.," "Ms.," or "Dr." CLEAR TITLE is a phrase that means undisputed ownership.
58. Convenient excuse, obviously?: STRIKING OUT. STRIKING is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "The younger Law bore a STRIKING resemblance to his father, Jude." OUT can be used to mean an excuse, as in, "I didn't want to attend the party, and my sniffles gave me an OUT." STRIKING OUT has a number of meanings -- setting out on a course of action, having three unsuccessful swings in baseball, failing at something, or in this case, a spectacular excuse!
And now, it is obviously time to review the remaining clues and answers!
Across:
1. Made-up band: KISS. The American rock band KISS has been made up of various members over the years. They are known for being MADE-UP with lots of makeup.
5. EPA concern: SMOG.
9. "Rules __ rules": ARE.
12. Native of Pre-Columbian Peru: INCA.
13. Gaze: STARE.
14. T. follower: REX. T. rex is short for Tyrannosaurus rex, a large, carnivorous dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous period.
15. [Theme clue]
17. Red block in Minecraft: TNT. Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all-time, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 170 million monthly active players as of 2024. The game world is composed of cubes (or "blocks") representing materials such as ores, water, and lava. And TNT!
18. Retinol Correxion skin care brand: RoC. Apparently this stuff is the fountain of youth for your face. Stay out of the sun if you use it, and watch out for skin irritation!
19. Hair-raising: EERIE.
20. Manitoba people: CREE. The Cree are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories of Canada.
21. "Plus some other folks" abbr.: ET AL. Short for "et alia," a Latin phrase meaning "and others."
23. [Theme clue]
26. Leave the band, perhaps: GO SOLO.
28. Rejected: VETOED.
29. Pirouetting, perhaps: ON TOE. A ballet dancer supporting their weight on the tips of their toes is said to be en pointe.
30. Call on: VISIT.
33. Physicians, briefly: MDs. Medical doctors.
34. [Theme clue]
37. Coolers, briefly: ACs. Air conditioners.
40. A mile a minute: SIXTY. If you're going a mile a minute, that's sixty miles per hour.
41. "Up in Smoke" co-star: CHONG. "Up in Smoke" is a 1978 comedy film starring Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong.
45. New Jersey city: CAMDEN.
47. Black eye: SHINER.
48. [Theme clue]
52. Cacio e __ pasta: PEPE. "Cacio e pepe" is Italian for "cheese and pepper." The classic dish is made with just pecorino romano cheese, black pepper and pasta. Some folks consider this a good dish to order to test the quality of the kitchen in an Italian restaurant. If they offer pizza, try margherita, topped with crushed peeled tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil leaves.
53. Not pretty: UGLY.
54. Plays: DRAMA.
56. GPS display: RTE. A Global Positioning System app (like Google Maps or Waze) displays a "route" to follow.
57. Was on the bottom?: SAT. Oh, *that* bottom!
58. [Theme clue]
61. Before, before: ERE. Ere used to mean before, well before our time.
62. Filch: SWIPE.
63. Nature or nurture: NOUN. Nature and nurture are both nouns.
64. Leb. neighbor: SYR. Lebanon and Syria.
65. Schnoz: NOSE. Likely from Yiddish שנויץ (shnoyts), cognate to German Schnauze (“snout”) and English snout.
66. Ill at __: EASE.
Down:
1. Unit of explosive force: KILOTON. A unit of explosive power equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT.
2. Plastered?: IN A CAST. Plaster casts are used to treat bone fractures.
3. __-fi: SCI.
4. Sensible: SANE.
5. Step: STAIR.
6. "Bohemian Rhapsody" Best Actor Oscar winner: MALEK. Rami Malek portrayed Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in the 2018 biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury
7. Lode load: ORE.
8. Neighbor of Aus.: GER. Austria and Germany.
9. Creative venue: ART ROOM.
10. Like some library books or contracts: RENEWED.
11. Stretches out: EXTENDS.
13. "Buona __": SERA. "Good evening" in Italian.
15. Barilla rival: PREGO. Competing brands of bottled marinara sauce, made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs.
16. Expo presentation: DEMO. At an exposition, exhibitors offer demonstrations of their products.
20. Chi. summer setting: CDT. Chicago is on Central Daylight Time in the summer.
22. Aerial maneuver: LOOP. A loop maneuver is an aerial stunt performed by airplane pilots. The loop is achieved by diving and pulling back sharply. In every loop, the pilot has to navigate through a force of gravity nine times the normal. It's dangerous!
24. Malicious: EVIL.
25. Rip off: DETACH.
27. Landlord: LEASER.
30. Bother: VEX.
31. Abbr. on a bank statement: INT. With any luck, your bank statement shows interest.
32. Mud hole: STY. A sty is a pig pen, which is often muddy.
35. Shade: TINT.
36. Blender setting: WHIP.
37. Charges: ACCUSES.
38. Home of the Stampede: CALGARY. The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
39. Place of refinement?: SMELTER. A smelter is a machine or factory that heats ore to high temperatures to separate metal from other elements.
42. Burdensome: ONEROUS.
43. Planet with the Great Dark Spot: NEPTUNE. The Great Dark Spot was observed by NASA's Voyager 2 space probe in 1989, and later by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is a large storm.
44. Welcome: GREET.
46. Same-__ delivery: DAY.
47. Formal introduction?: SEMI. Semi-formal is a dress code: more polished than work wear, but less formal than black-tie. For men, a suit is in order. For women, who the heck knows?
49. Actor Elba: IDRIS. Idris Elba is an award-winning English actor and singer. He is OBVIOUSLY sexy, having been named Essence's annual Sexiest Man of the Year in 2013 and People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2018.
50. Drivel: TRIPE. Drivel is nonsense. Tripe is slang for nonsense. The first meaning of tripe is the edible lining of a cow, pig, or sheep's stomach. The edible tripe looks like rubbish, which led to the secondary meaning of rubbish or nonsense.
51. Camp sight: LAKE.
55. Celebrity chef Burrell: ANNE. Anne Burrell is an American chef and television personality She hosts the Food Network show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and co-hosts Worst Cooks in America.
58. Digits from the government: SSN. Social Security Number.
59. Wee hour: TWO. The wee hours are the first few hours after midnight, so called because they have wee (or small) numbers. TWO o'clock AM is a wee hour -- but not the only one.
60. Indian state whose capital is Panaji: GOA. Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India. It is India's smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. India rates Goa as having the best quality of life in the country. The state capital, Panaji, retains cultural influences from its 456 years as a territory of Portugal. The beaches of Goa appear to be popular tourist destinations.
Here's the grid:
So, was this puzzle perfectly CLEAR to you?
Or did you find yourself STRIKING OUT along the way?
Veterans Kevin Christian and Doug Peterson team up today with a simple theme consisting of 5 two word question clues, each beginning with a play on the last name of a pop singer. They fill each clue with a two word in the language phrase beginning with the singer's first name. I couldn't find any pattern in the second word of the fill and there was no reveal. Here are the themers ...
17. Iggy's therapist?: POP PSYCHOLOGIST. You can see why Iggy Pop might need a psychologist -- he was A Real Wild Child ...
23. Taylor's comeback?: SWIFT RECOVERY. Taylor came back from her recent ERAs Tour and apparently finding the last leg to be rather torturous she was in need of some RECOVERY ...
39. Donna's time off?: SUMMER VACATIONS. Known as the "Queen of Disco", Donna Summer's life was tragically cut short by lung cancer, even though she was not a smoker. After getting thru this song you can see why she might need a VACATION ...
51. Fiona's rapidly changing backup band?: APPLE TURNOVER. Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. Classically trained on piano as a child, she began composing her own songs when she was eight years old. Her debut album, Tidal, containing songs written when she was in her teens, was released in 1996 and received a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single Criminal. Here she tells us The Way Things Are ...
61. Al's state-of-the-art recording equipment?: GREEN TECHNOLOGY. Al Greene (born April 13, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and is referred to on the museum's site as being "one of the most gifted purveyors of soul music" and is considered by some to be "The Last of the Great Soul Singers". Here's his Take Me to the River ...
Despite the simplicity of the theme, I did find some clever cluing and IMO I didn't find any pop culture references that couldn't be resolved with perps.
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Rock blaster?: AMP. TNT fit, but didn't perp.
4. Plus: BONUS.
9. Celery unit: STALK.
14. Fragrant garland: LEI. A perfect accessory for sitting on a 16A.
15. Are: EXIST.
16. Sunporch: LANAI. A lanai or lānai is a type of roofed, open-sided veranda, patio, or porch originating in Hawaii. Many homes, apartment buildings, hotels and restaurants in Hawaii are built with one or more lānais.
Albert Spencer Wilcox Beach House Hanalei, Hawaii
17. [Theme clue]
20. __ equity: SWEAT. Sweat equity refers to work one does to build up value without a salary. This ownership interest, or increase in value, is created as a direct result of hard work by the owner. For example, homeowners who renovate or repair their house themselves are investing in sweat equity that increases the value of their home.
30. "Cobra __": Netflix series about a dojo: KAI. Cobra Kai is an American martial arts comedy drama television series created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. It serves as a sequel to the original The Karate Kid films created by Robert Mark Kamen. Here's a preview of Season 6 ...
31. Primatologist's subject: APE. Probably the most famous primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, who for 60 years has been studying chimpanzees, a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa.
32. Chocolate-and-caramel candy: ROLO. Approximately 24.2 million pounds of ROLO® Candy are sold annually.
35. Square quartet: SIDES. Squares have four sides.
39. [Theme clue]
43. Evaluate: ASSAY. Usually specifying a quantitative evaluation, e.g. measuring the percentage of gold in an ore.
44. Even once: EVER. If it has EVER happened, then it has happened at least ONCE.
45. 2016 Super Bowl MVP Miller: VON. Vonnie B'VSean Miller (born March 26, 1989) is an American professional football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). At the conclusion of the 2015 NFL season, Miller was named Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl 50. In 2021, Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Rams and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LVI.
Von Miller
46. Apr. 15 addressee: IRS.
48. Word on some Oscars: ACTRESS. The Oscar for Best Actress award has been presented 97 times, to 79 actresses. The recipient of the most awards is Katherine Hepburn, with 4.
1. Jungfrau's range: ALPS. Today's German lesson: "Jungfrau (YOONG-frow) = maiden, virgin". The Jungfrau ALP, at 4,158 meters (13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Swiss Alps and definitely not a climb for children. It is located in the Bernese portion of the range.
5. Stridex shelfmate: OXY. Both products are used in the treatment of ACNE, a mild form of crosswordese. The jury seems out as to which product is best, but as OXY is imported from South Africa it costs more ...
6. Actor Cage, informally: NIC. Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards. The first movie we ever saw him in was Moonstruck, co-starring with Cher. 7. Playbill carrier: USHER.
8. Put away: STORE.
9. __-mo: SLO.
10. See 12-Down: TAG.
11. "Demon Slayer" genre: ANIME. Thank you perps. Demon Slayer: Blade of Demon Destructionis a Japanese anime television series based on the manga (comic book) series of the same name by Koyoharu Gotouge. It follows teenage Tanjiro Kamado, who strives to become a Demon Slayer after his family was slaughtered and his younger sister, Nezuko, is turned into a demon. 12. With 10-Down, game with light weapons?: LASER. Laser tag is a recreational shooting sport where participants use infrared-emitting light guns to tag designated targets. Infrared-sensitive signaling devices are commonly worn by each player to register hits. In late 1970s and early 1980s, the United States Army deployed a system using lasers for combat training. But laser tag didn't begin to take off until 1984 when George Carter III, inspired by the Star Wars movies, invented the first affordable system. So how do laser tag systems actually work ...?
13. Cat, affectionately: KITTY.
18. Front-row chess piece: PAWN. This term also refers to a person who does not have any real power, but is used by others to achieve something, e.g. "The refugees were pawns in an international political dispute".
19. Deficiency: LACK.
24. Jamie of "M*A*S*H": FARR. Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Corporal Klinger, a soldier who tried getting discharged from the army by cross-dressing. You have to wonder who kept him supplied with duds -- "Hot Lips" Hoolihan maybe?
Jamie Farr and Loretta Swit
25. Cache: TROVE. E.g. a TREASURE TROVE, the subject of Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island. There have been several adaptations of this novel including our favorite, this 1990 film with Charlton Heston as the obsessive pirate Long John Silver ...
26. Hops drier: OAST. An oast, oast house or hop kiln is a building designed for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process. Oast houses can be found in most hop-growing (and former hop-growing) areas, e.g. Kent and Sussex, England. Many redundant oasts have been converted into tourist inns.
Oasts Maidstone, Kent, England
27. Two before X: VIII. Today's math lesson (in base BCE): "X (formerly known as Twitter) - II = VIII". 😀
28. Org. that oversees the Artemis moon program: NASA. The Artemis moon program is named for the eponymous Greek goddess, the twin sister of Apollo, who was of course the namesake of the Apollo moon program. Here is the Artemis Program logo, which tells the story in a nutshell ...
29. Major work: OPUS. The plural of OPUS is OPERA, which has come to mean a musical drama or comedy telling a story via a series of works such as an overture, arias, and interludes. Ludwig van Beethoven, whose birthday we celebrated just 10 days ago, wrote only one opera, entitled Fidelio. He wrote a total of 4 overtures to it, finally settling on this one ... 33. Loo: LAV. A Brit place to sit. 😀
34. Surname of heist masterminds played by Sinatra, Clooney, and Bullock: OCEAN. Frank Sinatra played Danny Ocean in the 1960 film Ocean's 11. In Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and ThirteenDanny was played by George Clooney. In Ocean's Eight women stole the franchise and Sandra Bullock played Debbie Ocean. Got that? Hand up if you've seen any of these flicks and put both yer hands up if I got any of that wrong!
36. Flatfish named for an English port: DOVER SOLE. The town of Dover, England, directly across English Channel from Calais, France is famous for it's White Cliffs -- my Mother used to sing us this song about them. As Dover was also a major fishing port in the late 19th century and a delicate white fish called "King of Sole" was common in the town markets, the name was eventually changed to Dover Sole, a flat fish with a white underside. Here's a simple recipe with capers, parsley, and butter.
37. Mireille of "Hanna": ENOS. Hanna is a sci-fi TV series about a young girl played by Esme Creed-Miles raised in the wilds of Finland by her father, an ex-CIA man, to make her the perfect assassin. She has been receiving injections of DNA since birth as a part of a program called ULTRAX to make her a super-soldier. Mireille Enos plays Marissa Wiegler, the CIA operative put in charge of the original UTRAX program, but who turns from a foe to an ally and mother figure to Hanna. Here's a trailer ...
41. Literary governess: EYRE. Jane Eyre is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë, published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847. It is a coming of age story that follows the experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr. Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall. The novel revolutionized prose fiction, being the first to focus on the moral and spiritual development of its protagonist through an intimate first-person narrative, where actions and events are colored by a psychological intensity.
First Edition, vol 1.
42. With the bow, in music: ARCO. "arco" a the literal score notation and it indicates when to return to bowing the violin after an interlude of "pizz", that is pizzicato -- plucking the strings with the fingers. If you listen carefully and look closely at this score of Edvard Grieg's -Anitra's Dance from his Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, you'll hear and see the alternation between pizz and arco ...
47. ESPN datum: STAT.
49. Ryan Seacrest, for one: TV HOST. Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest co-hosted and served as executive producer of Live with Kelly and Ryan, and has hosted other media including American Idol, American Top 40, and On Air with Ryan Seacrest. He became co-host of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in 2005, and became the sole host following Clark's death in 2012.
Ryan Seacrest
50. Concrete: REAL.
51. A matter of degrees?: ANGLE. An ACUTE clue ... 😀
52. "Evita" name: PERON. The quoting of "Evita" probably indicates that this is a reference to the musical based on the life of Eva Perón, an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until her death in July 1952, as the wife of Argentine President Juan Perón.
Eva and Juan Perón
53. Scholarly article reviewers: PEERS. Peer review is a quality control system for academic publications. It is especially important for scientific publications, which can have widespread societal impact on medicine, health, and public policy. In recent decades this process has come under severe stress due to the high stakes economic importance of some scientific disciplines, and the "publish or perish" phenomenon. These are the probable causes of what concerned scientists call the reproducibility crisis -- the retraction of articles after publication due to the failure of other scientists' to get the same results using the same methodology. This problem has become so serious that in 2010 two longtime health journalists, Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus, founded Retraction Watch, “a site dedicated to reporting on scientific retractions and related issues” to bring to light how many scientific papers are withdrawn yearly and why.
54. Gets taken for a ride, in a way: UBERS.
55. Intel gathered by scouts: RECON. One of the first RECON missions is recorded in the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible. In the painting below the scouts are shown returning from Canaan with grapes (sans the rumored milk and honey) and with bad news about the fortified cities and the race of giants they found there ...
59. Awestruck: AGOG. Awesome - two vowels and two gerund endings!
60. Autocorrect target: TYPO. I'd prefer DWIM ("Do What I Mean") to "autocorrect".
62. College domain: EDU.
63. Dec. 31: NYE.
64. "The White Lotus" network: HBO. The White Lotus is an American black comedy drama anthology television series created by Mike White for HBO. "It follows the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose interactions are affected by their various psychosocial dysfunctions". While I've not seen it, I suspect that like all satires it's on the edge of becoming what it parodies. Here's the season 1 trailer (language) ...
65. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
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