Happy Black Friday everyone. How are we all feeling after yesterday's big Thanksgiving Dinner? Ready to tackle the malls today now that we have less than 30 shopping days 'til Christmas?
Don't know about y'all but I am a bit hung over from turkey, vino, and football. If the weather cooperates I will likely go for a hike. But go shopping? Nope. Not today. I'd rather comment with all of you nice folks about Jennifer Lee and Victor Galson's clever use of play-on-word phrases that omit three conditional words that all parents have uttered once or more: (59-Across as clued: "I won't hear any excuses!" ... also, a clue to the three other longest Across answers) NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS. How did these two collaborators get there you ask?
17-Across. Odds that the pub is open?: CHANCE OF ALE TIME. LOL! Makes me think of this guy:
Add the word "IF" to this phrase - put it between the L and E of the word ALE - et voila! No "if" makes "Chance of a lifetime" become CHANCE OF ALE TIME
26-Across. Well-liked blue-state pol?: POPULAR DEM. Very, very clever P-O-W. If only the Crossword Corner would allow some mention of politics I could have a field day with this. In keeping with today's theme, though, let's look and see where the word "AND" could fit. How about after "DEM"? Ever heard of the phrase (by) POPULAR DEMAND?
46-Across. Where the Goddess of Pop resides?: CHER'S BLOCK. At first, I was thinking that this referred to one of the three actors who is playing CHER in the new Broadway Musical, "The CHER Show". Stephanie J. BLOCK.
But maybe it has the literal meaning of where she actually resides. On a street BLOCK. Either way, this one didn't tickle my punny bone as much as the other two, yet the addition of the word "BUT" to this yields the phrase: "BUTcher's Block".
And upon further review, the first deletion - IF - fits in the center of LE to make LIFE; AND fits at the end of DEM to make DEMAND; and BUT fits at the beginning of CHER'S to make BUTCHER'S. Very cool. Is that how you saw it? On to the fill . . .
Across:
1. __ choy: BOK.
Famous Chinese chef
Started a new franchise. It's
Called: BOK in a wok
4. Lines not meant for everyone: ASIDE. Not the meaning of the clue, but another way to use the word ASIDE:
9. Classic sci-fi film with a pronoun title: THEM. A 1954 movie with a star-studded cast
13. "Bah!" in Bavaria: ACH. We all know the phrase, "ACH du lieber" - which means, "Oh, my dear". And most other phrases with the word "ACH" seem to infer that it's "oh" rather than "bah". Maybe someone else has a different take? Later in the grid, we saw this: (51-Across. "Heavens to Betsy!":) OH DEAR.
14. Jockey, e.g.: RIDER.
Kentucky Derby
Horse was named after Doors song
RIDER on the Storm
15. Shack: HOVEL.
20. Gorilla who learned sign language: KOKO. As decribed in Wikipedia
21. Like a rogue: SLY.
A SLY actor needs
More makeup. Would that imply
The rogue wore some rouge?
22. An abundance: OODLES. Here's an oldie:
23. "Su-u-ure": "I BET". Song by Ciara would've been a good clue. Enjoy!
25. Fla. resort: BOCA. A CSO to some of our SE FL Cornerites (unclefred and Lemonade714) who live nearby BOCA Raton
30. "Conan" airer: TBS. The clip is kinda long but it was his last show (June 24, 2021) and says it all:
33. Org. that launched "My MPG" in 2005: EPA. With the popularity of battery-powered cars, will a new metric be used that measures MPkW??
34. Phoenix origin?: ASHES. At first I thought this was a comment about how the city of Phoenix, AZ originated. Interestingly enough, there was a correlation
35. Milk dispensers: TEATS.
British company
Launched new brand that includes milk.
It's called Tetley TEATS
37. Variety for a truffle hunter?: LINDT. Did anyone else think about pigs? Nah; we all thought of this, didn't we? Made by LINDT
39. Even so: YET. Hitherto?
40. "Ditto": AS DO I. We had the word DITTO in my last recap
41. Alexander the Great, to Aristotle: TUTEE. World History dot com confirms this: "In 343 BCE Aristotle was summoned by King Philip II of Macedon to tutor his son Alexander the Great. He was hired by Philip II, King of Macedon (r. 359-336 BCE) as tutor for his son Alexander the Great". And now you know!
42. Casino group, often: TRIBE. The first Indian casino was built in Florida by the Seminole TRIBE, which opened a successful high-stakes bingo parlour in 1979. Other indigenous nations quickly followed suit, and by 2000 more than 150 tribes in 24 states had opened casino or bingo operations on their reservations
44. Word with bobby or bowling: PIN. The "bowling" reference is a CSO to Boomer
45. AOL competitor: MSN. One of my three email accounts is with "hotmail", a MicroSoft Network provider. And the majority of what appears in my inbox there is (48-Across. Annoying email:) SPAM
50. Sweet talk: COOS. Which brought to mind an oldie, but goodie:
A pigeon landed
Upon a church steeple, and
Uttered some high COOS
54. Lead in to la-la: OOH. "Hands up" for putting "TRA" in there first
56. Start of some famous last words: "ET TU". The phrase “ET TU, Brute?” is never at any point attributed to Julius Caesar in any surviving ancient text. These words, however, are entirely fictional; as they do not appear in the writings of any Greek or Roman historians. Interesting
62. Spaceship Earth site: EPCOT. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Disney World
63. "The Tortoise and the Hare" author: AESOP. According to World History dot org, AESOP, a former Greek slave, in the late to mid-6th century BCE, Aesop's Fables are the world's best known collection of morality tales. The fables, numbering 725, were originally told from person-to-person as much for entertainment purposes but largely as a means for relaying or teaching a moral or lesson
64. Reuben requirement: RYE. Corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing are also requirements, IIRC. Do you prefer your RYE bread with, or without seeds?
65. Sonic the Hedgehog owner: SEGA. This guy from the popular SEGA video games:
66. Holy hymn: PSALM. PSALM means: "a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of PSALMs and used in Christian and Jewish worship"
67. They loop around the Loop: ELS. Short for "Elevated Trains". Note the capitalized second LOOP in the clue: A reference to the area within the city of Chicago
Down:
1. Here again: BACK. Sorry if this creeps you out . . .
2. Half of dieciséis: OCHO. Helps if you know Spanish. Dieciséis is sixteen. One half of sixteen is 8, or OCHO in Espanol.
3. Some casual wear: KHAKI PANTS. They say that the best commercials are the ones you remember whenever you hear a single word . . . like this, perhaps?
4. Bend: ARC. Does anyone else get ARC and ARCH mixed up? I found this: "ARC" - a shape or structure resembling an arc. "ARCH" - a curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supporting the weight of a bridge, roof, or wall above it. So why say that I "arched" my back. Shouldn't it be ARCed my back, instead??
5. Afternoon rests: SIESTAS. More Spanish today, but one that is much more familiar. I will take an occasional SIESTA; actually look forward to them!!
6. Pop star: IDOL. I'll call this one "crossword-ese" for today
7. Go against: DEFY.
8. Jazz __: ERA. Another crossword favorite shows up again
9. 2000s teen drama set in SoCal: THE O.C.. As in Orange County. A Southern California district whose county seat is Santa Ana. About 3-1/4 million folks call this their home. Anaheim is here; so is Newport Beach, where THE O.C. show was based. It ran on Fox Network from 2003-2007
10. Much-anticipated appointments: HOT DATES. This image made me laugh!
11. Good fighter?: EVIL. Very clever clue for this. One of my favorite books and movies use both words in the title . . . enjoy the trailer . . .
12. Viral video, e.g.: MEME. Or a viral image. Here's one for today:
16. "__ Misérables": LES. A bit of Frawnch to go with the Spanish. And the Frawnch lesson du jour is when do you use the word LES to mean "THE"?
"With masculine singular nouns → use le. With feminine singular nouns → use la. With nouns starting with a vowel, most nouns beginning with h and the French word y → use l'. With plural nouns → use LES." And now you know . . .
18. Restaurant chain with a signature black cod dish: NOBU. As your bi-weekly erudite envoy I am sad to say that I had no idea nor clue about this. Apparently I just don't "get around much"! ;^) Or, NOBU is a bit out of my price range. I checked the menu @ the Newport Beach, CA location, and the signature black cod dish (with a side of Miso) is $42
19. Device for Circe: LOOM. Here is all you need to know about Circe . . . I think
24. Overjoy: ELATE. What do you call a person who's tardy for the Zoom meeting? E-LATE
25. Rouse to action: BESTIR. I needed a few nudges this week to BESTIR myself to write the blog!
26. Fur piece: PELT.
27. Poppy product: OPIUM. "Papaver somniferum, commonly known as the OPIUM poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable ornamental plant, grown in gardens." Wikipedia
28. Blues partner: RHYTHM. One of my favorite tunes - one that's been covered many times. This version "happened" during my HS years:
29. Big name in lawn care: DEERE. "Nothing rides like a DEERE!"
31. Cause of back trouble, maybe: BAD POSTURE. Maybe because they ARC(h)ed it?
32. Not easily moved: STOIC. Kinda like pigeons on statue! Or these pigeons confirm:
35. Fitness system popular since the '90s: TAE BO. "TAE BO is a body fitness system that incorporates martial arts techniques, such as kicks and punches, which became popular in the 1990s. It was developed by American taekwondo practitioner Billy Blanks. Such programs use the motions of martial arts at a rapid pace designed to promote fitness." Wikipedia
36. Roll into the hole, as a putt: SINK. CSO to all of the Crossword Corner golfers, and this guy:
38. Visibility inhibitor: DENSE FOG. This cartoon's appropriate
43. Harvard has a renowned one, briefly: B-SCHOOL. Abbr. for Business School. Harvard's Business School is known as "Harvard Business School"! (had you going there for a second, didn't I?!). Oh, the cost of an MBA @ Harvard? Harvard charges $73,440 in MBA tuition fees for the academic year 2021-22. For the two-year, full-time MBA program at Harvard, you can expect to pay double that; $146,880 in tuition. Of course most Harvard MBA grads can earn the two-year cost of tuition in their first year of employment
46. Delevingne of "Carnival Row": CARA. Oops - we have a Proper Name alert! CARA Jocelyn Delevingne is an English model, actress, and singer. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014. Wikipedia "Carnival Row" is a fantasy made-for-TV show that airs on Amazon Prime+ video
47. Leopold's nefarious partner: LOEB. Another Proper Name alert!! Nefarious/notorious; just plain old bad guys
49. Bucatini, for one: PASTA. A tubular variety: "Bucatini, also known as perciatelli, are a thick spaghetti-like PASTA with a hole running through the center. They are common throughout Lazio, particularly Rome. The similar ziti are long hollow rods which are also smooth in texture and have square-cut edges; "cut ziti" are ziti cut into shorter tubes." Wikipedia
51. Capital __: ONE. What's in your wallet? (do you think Moe watches the TV ads??!)
52. Source of bitter flavor in beer: HOPS.
Beer and malt drinker
Has a pet bunny rabbit
He calls it "HOPScotch"
53. More than chop: DICE. It chops, slices, and it DICES . . . remember?
54. Poems of admiration: ODES. Rarely see this crossword "staple" pluralized; would the French call this "LES ODES"??
55. Greek peak: OSSA.
57. "G2G": TTYL. Text-speak: Got to Go (G2G) = Talk To You Later
58. Employs: USES. I USES many pictures and videos and haikus and on and on and on . . .
60. Wet __: NAP. So, in Spanish would this be "mojada SIESTA"??
61. Tach readout: RPM. Revolutions Per Minute
And with that, we are at a close. Comments are always welcome! Hope you survived both Thanksgiving AND Black Friday! Here's the grid:
