37-Across. Freight train components ... or a hint to each group of circled letters: BOX CARS.
Note that the circles are arranged to make a "box". Rearrange the letters in the circles and you get a make of car. Altogether, we get six different cars. Top row, left to right, we get an Audi, an Opel, and a Jeep. Bottom row, right to left, we get a Mini, an Alda (or possibly a Lada), and a Ford. [Both the Alda and Lada seem too obscure for a Tuesday puzzle.]
Across: 1. Uber alternatives: CABS. Not wines, this time.
5. Thyroid, e.g.: GLAND.
10. Managed music for a wedding reception, briefly: DJ'ED.
14. Sword handle: HILT. // And 16-Across. Olympic sport with two accents: ÉPÉE.
15. Lasso wielder: ROPER.
17. Biblical birthright seller: ESAU. The story of Jacob and Esau can be found in Genesis 25:19-34.
18. Tylenol competitor: ALEVE. Both are pain relievers. The active ingredient in Tylenol is Acetaminophen; in Aleve, it's Naproxen.
19. Warning from a reckless driver?: FORE. A golfing reference.
20. Lost traction: SLID.
21. Runs out of steam: TIRES.
22. MP3 player: iPOD. Sadly, Apple no longer makes iPods.
23. "__ now!": "Seinfeld" mantra spoken by Frank Costanza: SERENITY. Episode 159, Season 9. It was first aired on October 9, 1997.
25. Many an IRS worker: CPA. A shout out to the Certified Public Accounts who read this blog.
27. Artemis program org.: NASA. A program of the future.
28. Storm warning: THUNDER.
32. Medicare section for ambulance services: PART-B. There are 4 parts to Medicare.
35. Rossini's "William Tell" has a famous one: OVERTURE. Sometime mistaken for the theme song to the Lone Ranger.
36. Tavern tipple: ALE.
40. 911 responder, briefly: EMS. Emergency Medical Services. There are many types of EMS's.
41. Its trill begins "Rhapsody in Blue": CLARINET. A musical composition by George Gershwin.
43. D sharp equivalent: E-FLAT.
45. Singing, dancing and acting: TALENTS. We found some hidden talents last Tuesday.
46. Draped dress: SARI. Everything you wanted to know about the sari, but didn't know to ask.
48. "Yuck!": UGH. Nothing Ugh about this puzzle.
49. Really botched: MESSED UP.
53. Sous-chef's job: PREP. A sous-chef is to the chef as the vice president is to the president.
56. Decree: EDICT.
58. __ song: cheaply: FOR A.
59. Wild West Wyatt: EARP. Best known for being involved in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
60. Back biter?: MOLAR. Cute clue. I just had to have a filling replace in one of my molars.
61. Far from flashy: DRAB. Hand up if you tried Dull before Drab.
64. Manet medium: OILS. Not to be confused with Monet, who also painted in oils.
65. Ilk: KIND.
66. Designed to punish: PENAL. Franz Kafka wrote a short story about a penal colony. It was quite gruesome.
67. Pole on the Bounty: MAST.
Down:
1. "The Queen's Gambit" game: CHESS. The Queen's Gambit is a 1983 novel by Walter Tevis. It was later made into a Netflix miniseries.
2. Flier's seat option: AISLE. I prefer an aisle seat when I fly.
3. Major's successor: BLAIR. Tricky clue for those of us on this side of the pond. Tony Blair succeeded John Major as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
4. Nero, to Seneca: STUDENT. Seneca was an ancient Roman philosopher. I wonder if he taught Nero to play the violin.
5. On the house: GRATIS. Today's Latin lesson.
6. Nabokov title girl: LOLITA. A book that has been banned in many countries.
7. Mimic's forte: APERY.
8. Actress Campbell: NEVE. She is often seen in horror films.
9. Fran of "The Nanny": DRESCHER. She has a very nasal and annoying voice.
10. Insubordinate: DEFIANT.
11. Genre for some Tokyo-based bands: J-POP.
12. Designer Saarinen: EERO. He used to make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.
13. Monopoly card: DEED.
24. Apprehending: NABBING.
26. Maritime money handlers: PURSERS.
28. FDR power project: TVA. The Tennessee Valley Authority was created as a part of Franklin D. Roosevelt programs during the Great Depression.
29. "Hamilton" climax: DUEL. He wasn't using an épée.
30. Funny Bombeck: ERMA. She wrote a syndicated column that appeared in many American newspapers.
31. Remainder: REST.
32. Treaty: PACT.
33. Penne __ vodka: ALLA. Today's Italian lesson. Can you guess what it is made of?
34. Actual: REAL.
35. Canadian Thanksgiving mo.: OCT. Hi, CanadianEh!
38. In a position of fame: ON THE MAP.
39. Ballot marks: X'ES.
42. Signed on for another tour: RE-UPPED.
44. Feudal lord's domain: FIEFDOM.
46. Cuban-born Grammy winner Jon: SECADA. I'm not familiar with this musician.
47. Starlike: ASTRAL.
49. Italian fashion center: MILAN. How Milan became the Fashion Capital.
50. Ill-fated ship Andrea __: DORIA. The SS Andrea Doria, which sank off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1956, was named after the Genoese admiral Andrea Doria.
51. Eurasian range: URALS.
52. Blue Ribbon brewer: PABST. Everything you wanted to know about Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, but didn't know to ask.
53. Pinnacle: PEAK.
54. Malek of "Mr. Robot": RAMI. He also portrayed Freddie Mercury in the 2018 film, Bohemian Rhapsody.
55. St. Patrick's home: ERIN. Also known as Ireland.
57. Medicine amount: DOSE. A spoonful of sugar will help the medicine go down ...
60. Novelty piano piece of 1921 ... and a hint to this puzzle's theme:KITTEN ON THE KEYS.
A-B-C-D-E-F-G. See the circled letters? See the CAT sitting atop each "key?" (Thanks, Owen!)
Melissa here. In 1921 Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey wrote his novelty piano solo Kitten on the Keys, inspired by hearing his grandmother's cat walk on the keyboard of her piano. It became a hit, and he went on to compose many other pieces in the genre.
Across:
1. Breaks in relations: RIFTS.
6. Update cartographically: REMAP.
11. Adorns with Charmin, for short: TPS. Toilet papers, as a verb.
14. Basketball Hall of Famer __ Thomas: ISIAH.
15. Sherlock Holmes' younger sister as depicted in a recent Nancy Springer book series: ENOLA.
16. Hot temper: IRE.
17. Using any available means: CATCH AS CATCH CAN. One of two grid-spanners.
20. He broke Babe's record in 1974: HANK.
21. Tulip-to-be: BULB.
22. Kitchen protection: MITTS.
23. Rocks in a bar: ICE. For drinks.
24. "Miss Saigon" setting: NAM. Vietnam. Miss Saigon is a coming-of-age stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover.
25. Clear out: VACATE. Hit the road, Jack.
26. A college applicant may have to write one: ESSAY.
28. City on the Ruhr: ESSEN. City in Western Germany.
31. Roman 151: CLI.
32. Ella's forte: SCAT.
34. Strain: TAX.
35. Swiss Army knife's assortment: USES.
36. Dashboard gauges: ODOMETERS. An instrument for measuring the distance traveled by a vehicle.
39. Go for a rebound: JUMP. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game; if a shot is successfully made possession of the ball will change, otherwise the rebound allows the defensive team to take possession. Rebounds are also given to a player who tips in a missed shot on his team's offensive end. A rebound can be grabbed by either an offensive player or a defensive player.
48. Future docs' exams: MCATS. Medical College Admission Tests.
51. Cassiterite, e.g.: TIN ORE. Cassiterite is a reddish, brownish, or yellowish mineral consisting of tin dioxide. It is the main ore of tin.
53. A-lister: VIP. Very Important Person. Well, excuse us.
55. Govt. mortgage agcy.: FHA.
56. Golf goof: SLICE. A slice is a ball that curves away from the players dominant hand.
57. Slangy sweeties: BAES.
59. Stern's opposite: STEM. Nautical terminology.
63. Skater Midori: ITO.
64. Old Venetian coin: DUCAT. At today's gold prices, one ducat is worth $148.83.
65. Havana's __ Castle: MORRO. A fortress guarding Havana Bay, Cuba.
66. Leb. neighbor: SYR.
67. Soliloquy site: STAGE. An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
68. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN. Miniseries on Disney+.
Down:
1. Singer Lionel: RICHIE. Blast from the past.
2. Jason of "Harry Potter" films: ISAACS. Played Lucius Malfoy.
3. Exercise goal: FITNESS.
4. Thumb-pressed nail: TACK. Thumbtack.
5. Theater rebuke: SHH.
6. Continue: RESUME.
7. Ltr. insert: ENCL. Enclosure.
8. Utah city with a Biblical name: MOAB.
9. __-rock: music genre: ALT. Alternative rock is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s.
10. Game with ghosts and a maze: PACMAN. Pacman doodle. Use your arrow keys to play.
11. Tiny breath mints: TIC TACS. Remember this scene with Patricia (Parker Posey) in You've Got Mail?
12. Talk nonsense: PRATTLE.
13. Martial arts instructors: SENSEIS. Teachers.
18. Attorney's gp.: ABA. American Bar Association.
19. Juice box brand: HI-C.
24. Long-distance swimmer Diana: NYAD.
25. Perturbed: VEXED.
27. "Rent-__": 1988 film: A-COP.
29. Curry of the NBA's Warriors: STEPH.
30. Warmed the bench: SAT.
33. Senate cover-ups?: TOGAE. Tricky one. Togae, a variation on the toga spelling, was a loose, one-piece outer garment worn in ancient Rome. The Roman Senate functioned as an advisory body to Rome's magistrates and was composed of the city's most experienced public servants and society's elite.
35. Dream Team org.: USOC. The National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
37. Yoga surface: MAT.
38. Frolic: ROMP.
39. Kawasaki watercraft: JET SKIS. Personal watercraft.
40. The U in "SUV": UTILITY. Sport Utility Vehicle.
41. Hall pass checker: MONITOR.
44. Roof supports: RAFTERS.
46. Belief systems: CREEDS.
47. "The Big Fib" host __ Nicole Brown: YVETTE. Game show on Disney+.
49. "And __ off!": THEY'RE.
50. Biblical strongman: SAMSON. The biblical account (in the book of Judges) states that Samson was a Nazirite, and that he was given immense strength to aid him against his enemies and allow him to perform superhuman feats, including slaying a lion with his bare hands and massacring an entire army of Philistines using only the jawbone of a donkey. However, if Samson's long hair were cut, then his Nazirite vow would be violated and he would lose his strength.
52. Fall mo.: OCT. October.
54. Suffix like -like: ISH.
57. Fla. resort: BOCA.
58. Toilets for T.S. Eliot?: Abbr.: ANAG. Sneaky. Toilet is an anagram of T.S. Eliot.
59. Vodka brand that sounds like a toast: SKOL. Skol is derived from the Scandinavian word skål, which originally referred to a communal wooden bowl passed from person to person at social gatherings and later meant to toast. While definitive historical proof is lacking, many believe that the Vikings used the word skol to say “cheers!”
39. Noted Italian campanile that hints at each group of circled letters in this puzzle: THE LEANING TOWER.
The ALOHA Tower is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States.
COIT Tower is a 210-foot tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San
Francisco, California, offering panoramic views over the city and the
bay.
The EIFFEL Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France.
The SEARS Tower The Willis Tower (formerly known as and commonly referred to as the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1,450-foot (442.1 m) skyscraper in Chicago.
(Edited later: There's also a leaning CN Tower in the lower left.)
Melissa here. The
definition of a campanile is an Italian bell tower. The other four
towers here are not bell towers, but all are well-known landmarks.
Across:
1. With regard to: AS FOR.
6. One might be en route to the ER: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.
9. Burn the midnight oil, perhaps: CRAM. Study for a test.
13. Leachman tied for the most (eight) Emmy wins as a performer: CLORIS. Always forget there's no H in her first name. Tied with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Leachman died in January of this year.
15. Immediately: NOW.
16. Screenwriter Ephron: NORA. My daughter and I always watch Ephron's You've Got Mail over the holidays. Charming, even though the Joe Fox character is actually kind of a creep, imo. YGM is actually a remake of The Shop Around The Corner with Jimmy Stewart. Worth a watch if you haven't seen it.
17. Greet with a honk: TOOT AT.
18. Gave the okay to: GREENLIT.
20. Where a ring may be left: BATHTUB.
22. Beauty: GEM.
23. "Mangia!": EAT. Italian.
24. Like Vivaldi's "Spring": IN E. The first concerto of the Four
Seasons is Spring, describing its freshness and beauty. Spring is a
solo concerto with 3 movements: quick, slow, quick. The quick movements are written in Ritornello form, which literally means “returning”.
25. Like cartoons: ANIMATED.
28. Fröbe who played Goldfinger: GERT. James Bond. Auric Goldfinger was played by German actor Gert Fröbe. Fröbe, who did not speak English well, was dubbed in the film by Michael Collins, an English actor.
30. Martial arts rank: DAN. The term Dan (단) is commonly used in Korean martial arts to denote a black belt.
Literally, however, the word more closely translates as "level" or
"stage". For example, some jumping kicks are called "ee dan" kicks,
which translates as "level two", where ee is the number two in the
sino-Korean numbering system
31. Show with skits: REVUE.
35. Theater director?: USHER. Nice clue.
38. Brunch standard: MIMOSA. Champagne and chilled citrus juice, usually orange juice.
43. Gregarious: SOCIAL.
44. Miller's salesman: LOMAN. Arthur Miller's Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman is an insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman who believes in the American dream, but never achieves it.
45. Name in book publishing since 1915: KNOPF.
46. "Silk Stockings" co-star Charisse: CYD.
47. Yields to gravity: SAGS.
51. Fur coat quality: SOFTNESS.
55. Water tester: TOE.
56. Number of stars on Ghana's flag: ONE. The red represents the blood of those who died
in the country's struggle for independence from Great Britain, the gold
represents the mineral wealth of the country, the green symbolizes the
country's rich forests and natural wealth, and the black star is the
symbol of African emancipation.
59. Vein contents: ORE.
60. Singer Ed with albums titled "+," "x" and "˜": SHEERAN.
62. Like a tutor's lesson, often: REMEDIAL. Provided or intended for students who are experiencing learning difficulties.
65. Wedding acquisitions: IN-LAWS. Cute.
66. Dot-__: COMS.
67. Punk rock offshoot: EMO. A style of rock music resembling punk but having more complex arrangements and lyrics that deal with more emotional subjects.
68. Respect: ADMIRE.
69. Lose one's cool: SNAP.
70. Retired boomer: SST.
71. Some HDTVs: SONYS.
Down:
1. Feign toughness: ACT BIG.
2. She took a day off with Ferris: SLOANE. Ferris's girlfriend who skips school with him. Played by Mia Sara.
3. Page number, often: FOOTER.
4. Sports med. branch: ORTH. Sports medicine is a subspecialty of orthopedic medicine
that deals with the physical fitness, preventive care and treatment of
amateur and professional athletes within the world of sports and
exercise.
5. Ranchero's rope: RIATA. A long, noosed rope, used to catch animals.
6. An official lang. of Malta: ENG. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.
7. Actor Freeman: MORGAN.
8. One in a storm, maybe: TWEET. A Tweetstorm is series of tweets from one person that starts with a number and a slash.
The first number is the order in which the tweet appears in a line of
tweets covering a single topic. The number after the slash is the number
of tweets from the same author. A Tweetstorm lets readers know how many
tweets to expect.
9. MSNBC rival: CNN.
10. Solo, for Ford: ROLE. Harrison Ford played the role of Han Solo in the Star Wars series.
11. Solo, for Fleming: ARIA. Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American opera singer and soprano.
12. "The Resident" star Czuchry: MATT. Czuchry plays Dr. Conrad Hawkins in Fox's medical drama.
14. Flabbergast: STUN.
19. Many a retired professor: EMERITA.
21. Last of two Pennsylvania-born presidents: BIDEN. The other was James Buchanan, born in 1791.
26. Subject of a painting by Andy and a song by Elton: MARILYN.
27. Exorcism targets: DEMONS.
29. Dutch exports: TULIPS.
32. Promise: VOW.
33. Employ: USE.
34. Canal setting: EAR.
36. Ceviche or sashimi: SEAFOOD.
37. Villain #13 on AFI's "100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains": HAL. From 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal 2001, the eerily human-like computer aboard the Discovery space ship, represents technological advancement.
38. "Thelma & Louise" studio: MGM. Metro Goldwyn Mayer.
39. Sound of reproach: TSK.
40. Sweetie: HON.
41. Friendly opening?: ECO. Eco-friendly.
42. Connection points: NODES. A point at which lines or pathways intersect or branch; a central or connecting point.
4-Down. Movie with Minions: DESPICABLE ME. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Vergo.
8-Down. "Spoon-bender" debunked by the Amazing Randi: URI GELLER. Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation of Orion.
32-Down. Diner list for animal product avoiders: VEGAN MENU. Vega is the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra.
And the unifier:
23-Down. Meteors, and what three Down answers aptly contain: FALLING STARS. Note that each of the Stars, which begin with circled letter, is in
the Down, or Falling position. Each of the named stars
is also the brightest star in its constellation. This puzzle really
needs a bit of astronomical knowledge in order to truly appreciate the theme.
I don't know that much about the constellations and their stars, so this
puzzle was a learning moment for me.
Across:
1. In the thick of: AMID.
5. "Honey, I __ the Kids": 1989 comedy: SHRUNK. Disney film.
11. Brown bag staple, initially: PBJ. Apparently there is a
proper way to make a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.
18. "24" analyst Chloe __: O'BRIAN. I never watched 24, so
was not familiar with this fictional character. She was played by Mary
Lynn Rajskub (b. June 22, 1971), whom I recognize, but didn't know her name.
19. Operate: RUN.
20. Good thing to have for a change?: DIAPER BAG. Cute clue.
22. A lot: OFTEN.
24. Judith of "Down Home": IVEY. Down Home is a
rather obscure reference to a sit-com that ran for only 1 year in the early
1990s. Judith Ivey (b. Sept. 4, 1951) was the only female star in the
show.
25. Diplomat's post: EMBASSY. Does the Diplomat stay at the
Embassy Suites?
27. Reacted to a really bad pun, perhaps: WINCED. I don't
trust stairs because they are always up to something.
38. Flood deterrent: LEVEE. The Levees held up during Hurricane Ida.
39. Like a Frappuccino: ICED. You can find one at your local
Starbucks.
40. Severe criticism: HELL.
41. Word with teen or golden: AGER. As in a Teenager or a
Golden Ager.
42. Nab in a trap: SNARE.
43. The Ellery Queen Award is one: EDGAR. Everything you
ever wanted to know about the Edgar Awards, but didn't know to ask.
45. Mideast or Midwest: REGION.
46. Motorcyclist's invitation: CLIMB ON.
49. "You're gonna need a bigger boat" movie: JAWS.
50. Biblical prophet: HOSEA. Hosea was an 8th century BCE
prophet. He is classified as one of the minor prophets.
51. Apple known by its first three letters: MACINTOSH.
Generally referred to as a Mac. We had one of these a lifetime
ago. It got me through law school.
56. Notable period: ERA.
57. Words to live by: CREDOS.
59. R&B's India.__: ARIE. India.Arie (née India Arie
Simpson; b. Oct. 3, 1975) has won 4 Grammy Awards.
60. Actress de Armas: ANA. Although her name didn't
immediately ring a bell, Cuban-born Ana de Armas (née Ana Celia de Armas
Caso; Apr. 30, 1988), has been in a number of movies, including the 2019
movie Knives Out.
61. Light, as a fire: KINDLE. Also the name of Amazon's
e-book.
62. Demolish: RAZE.
63. Bench press muscle, briefly: PEC.
64. Barflies: SOUSES.
65. Winter ride: SLED.
Down:
1. Blown away: AWED.
2. Calf-covering skirt: MAXI.
3. DIY furniture brand: IKEA. You think I'm going to make an
Ikea joke? Sorry, you'll have to make it yourself. *
5. Got a run home: SCORED.
6. Avocation: HOBBY.
7. __ avis: RARA. Today's Latin lesson. The two word
phrase means Rare Bird. It's also the name of a town in Mississippi.
9. Code-breaking org.: NSA. As in National Security Agency.
10. Jedi Master Obi-Wan ___: KENOBI. A reference to
the Star Wars movies.
11. Repair bill heading: PARTS.
12. B.B. King genre: BLUES. Although he went by B.B. King,
is actual name was Riley B. King (Sept. 16, 1925 ~ May 14, 2015).
13. Female donkey: JENNY.
21. 12/24 and 12/31: EVEs. Tricky. December 24 and
December 31 are Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, respectively.
26. Manufactured: MADE.
27. Genie's offering: WISH.
28. Run without moving: IDLE.
29. "Hud" Oscar-winner Patricia: NEAL. Patricia Neal's (née
Patsy Louise Neal; Jan. 20, 1926 ~ Aug. 8, 2010) career was interrupted when
she suffered a stroke at age 40.
Patricia Neal and Paul Newman in Hud.
30. Flu symptom: FEVER. Here's to you, Jinx!
34. Antioxidant berry: AÇAÍ. This berry has become a crossword staple.
35. Old Roman fiddler: NERO. Emperor Nero makes frequent
guest appearances in the puzzles.
36. Eve's first home: EDEN.
38. Italy's Como, per esempio: LAGO. Today's Italian Lesson.
42. Fixed with thread: SEWN.
44. Arizona MLBers: DBACKS. As in the Diamondbacks Major
League Baseball team.
45. Workers' rewards: RAISES.
46. Inexpensive: CHEAP.
47. "SNL" producer Michaels: LORNE.
Lorne Michaels (né Lorne David Lipowitz; b. Nov. 17, 1944)
48. Author Asimov: ISAAC. Isaac Asimov (Jan. 1920 ~ Apr. 6,
1992) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.
49. Rapper with the 2013 #1 album "Born Sinner": J COLE. I
am not up on my rap musicians.
J Cole (né Jermaine Lamarr Cole; b. Jan. 28, 1985)
52. Also includes: ADDS.
53. Face-to-face exam: ORAL.
54. XL or L, but not LX: SIZE.
55. Take to heart: HEED.
58. Brazil metropolis: RIO. Rio de Janeiro is known for its
Mardi Gras / Carnaval festival.
Today's outing is by frequent contributor David Poole, a mathematician
who last appeared on the Corner on July 1 of this year. Here he was
interviewed by C.C. just
last September.
I have to admit that I was initially very perplexed by this puzzle's theme:
there is a reveal clue,
butno actual theme clues for it to reveal (probably
old hat for veteran solvers, but not for this relative newbie). Here
it is:
37A. Place to find a date ... and any one of four in this
puzzle (circled letters are hints):
CORNER STONE.
Obviously you often "find a date" on
CORNERSTONES and they're usually
expressed in Roman numerals. So Bill was off and running, looking
for Roman numerals in the corners, and of course found what he was looking
for, as letters like M, L, I, and V are very common in
Crosswords. But pretty soon I was down in the weeds, then began to have
the sinking feeling that they were actually "seaweeds". So I issued a
distress call to the blogging team, and before you could say "splash", who
bobbed to the surface but my Thursday alter-ego, and our favorite Marine
Mammal, Malodorous Manatee. He gently explained that (1) my
parsing of CORNERSTONES was
incorrect (the fill comes from the factory unparsed and bloggers first have to
put spaces between any multi-word entries), and (2) that the reveal answer was
really two words: CORNER STONES. With a resounding "DOH", I saw that for the want of a SPACE,
our devious constructor David had thrown me off the scent. Each
circle was the start of the given name of an entertainer, wrapped around a
CORNER and the surname of each was
STONE. The grid should make sense of all the above:
Just to round things off, you can find Roman numeral dates in each
corner, but they are really misdirections - I'll leave them for you to locate
if you wish. And here are the
STONES in each
CORNER, clockwise from the Northwest:
EMMA STONE.
Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an
American actress. Stone appeared in my last blog on the cover of ELLE. This
coverage had been part of the hype in the run up to the 2017
OSCARS. LA LA Land, the 2016 film favored to win
Best Picture, didn't get the nod, but Stone landed the
Oscar for Best Actress, the first of what are sure to be many
more. Here are capsule reviews, of
all of her movies
and here is the "Audition (the fools who dream)" scene from LA LA Land:
OLIVER STONE. William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film
director, producer, and screenwriter.
I don't think that Stone makes uncontroversial films. I'm absolutely certain that most of us, of a certain age, remember
these events:
SLY STONE.Sylvester Stewart (born March 15, 1943), better known by his stage
name
Sly Stone. He is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is
most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone and
played a critical role in the development of
Funk Music, with his pioneering fusion of soul, rock,
psychedelia and gospel in the 1960s and 1970s. And now for
a little change of pace ...
SHARON STONE. Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American
actress, producer, and former fashion model.
Noted for playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and
television, she became a popular sex symbol throughout the 1990s. She is the recipient
of a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as having received
nominations for an Academy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. And to
top it off, she's pretty funny. Here she is opening up for
SNL:
Oh yes, and there were other clues:
Across:
1. Sprayed in defense: MACED. Or whacked with one of these.
Ouch!
6. "Your point being?": AND.
9. With 65-Down, toon sister of Castor: OLIVE. Here are the
OYL sibs:
14. Biscayne Bay city: MIAMI. A bit of misdirection for me,
as the Bay of Biscay between France and Spain immediately came to mind.
This is the bay David wanted:
15. Zen garden swimmer: KOI. Double-click this pic to enlarge
it. I feel more relaxed already ...
It's too late in life for me to read the novel, but the film is definitely on
my bucket list.
17. Critical care MD: ER DOC.
18. Tall or dark: Abbr.: ADJ. Or perhaps both, and
handsome too.
19. Composer who, as it happens, died in March (1932): SOUSA.
John Philip Sousa
(November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor
of the late Romantic era, known primarily for American military marches.
This is a CSO to our Anonymous T ...
20. Browser list: SITES.
22. Luke, to Anakin: SON. Luke and Anakin (before the latter went
over to the Dark Side)
24. Drops off: NAPS.
25. Short jackets worn open in front: BOLEROS. Also
a theme and orchestral variations
by Maurice Ravel. Also used in the movie "10" starring Dudley More and Bo Derek. As this is a family blog I can
only share a clip of the former (15 min):
Bolero is one of the most frequently performed works in the repertoire,
but Ravel was not particularly fond of it: "My masterpiece? Boléro? What next? Sadly there is nothing musical in it!".
27. Oscar night VIP: NOMINEE. E.g. our three theatrical
STONES.
33. And others, in Lat.: ET AL. Short for ET ALII (plural) and
ET ALIA
(singular)
35. Broccoli rabe: RAPINI.
In case you wondered. Also the tender leaves sprouting from the sides of young broccoli
plants can be trimmed and substituted for RAPINI.
41. Co-star of Meryl in "Death Becomes Her": GOLDIE. In
this 1992 black comedy, Streep and Hawn are rivals who fight for the
affections of the same man. Kurt Russell may be Goldie's life-long
significant other, but she is still
America's sweetheart:
42. Raise, as crops: GROW. GROW is something crops do all
by themselves. RAISE is something gardeners (and farmers - Hi
PK!) do, helping the crops to grow. And this gardener is not
having a good season this year. But like I always say, I'll do things
differently next year.
45. Executor's charge: ESTATE. My Mother died last December at
age 95 and I was named the executor of her estate in her Will. But as
she left no estate, and prepaid all of her burial expenses, there was little
for me to do. Except, that is, for deciding what was correct among all
of the conflicting advice that I was getting from various experts.
48. "__ said!": NUFF.
51. Sculpture medium: ICE. We tend to think of ICE as a
short-lived medium for sculpture. But in the North of China, where my
adopted 17 year old grandson hails from, the winters are long and very
cold. His home city of Harbin, China has for many years hosted an
Ice Festival
during January and February:
52. Author Elmore __: LEONARD. Elmore Leonard (October 11,
1925 – August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and
screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but
he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of
which have been adapted into motion pictures:
Here's his official website. Leonard's works were known around the world, and his homepage starts
with an article translated from Italian, comparing him to
Honoré de Balzac.
54. Calls the shots: DIRECTS. Like my 6 year old grandson!
56. Brand at Petco: IAMS.
57. Clue suspect count: SIX.
The game's six characters are
Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Mrs Peacock, the Reverend Green, Colonel
Mustard and the new Dr Orchid. Memorize that list, as I'm sure one of them will show up in a
puzzle soon.
59. Saint __, one of the only two sovereign nations named for women:
LUCIA. A CSO from David to our Lucina (Spanish for Lucia I'm
sure)!
Saint Lucia is an island state in the Caribbean Sea. It is the second largest of the Windward group in the
Lesser Antilles and is located about 24 miles (39 km) south of
Martinique and some 21 miles (34 km) northeast of
Saint Vincent.
Any guesses on the second sovereign
nation named for a woman? It's IRELAND,
named after the Celtic goddess of fertility EIRE. The latter
appears often in Cwds as a clue for Ireland or vice versa.
60. Intimidating look: STARE. A gender neutral look I suppose.
62. Civil War prez: ABE.
64. "Heaven forbid!": GOD NO.
66. Hopping mad: HET UP. Let's see if our hopping Thesaurus has
any synonyms ...
67. "ASAP!": NOW. Over at 17A they say STAT!
68. Strike zone?: ALLEY. Whoops! David really dropped the
ball on this one. He's going to have some 'splainin to do to
Boomer about this answer.
69. Pasta product suffix: ARONI.
70. Pink-slip: AXE.
CAMI
was too long.
71. Eldest von Trapp child, in the musical: LIESL.
LIESL is presumably the young lady top-center in this number:
3. Detroit founder: CADILLAC. That is
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
Cadillac Mountain
in Acadia National Park in Maine is named for him. Gee, I wonder
if those expensive luxury cars from Detroit are named for him?
4. Ham it up: EMOTE. Moi? I would never do
that!
5. Chefs, at times: DICERS. But I do have a great recipe for
DICEDHAM, noodles, peas and cream.
6. Alias letters: AKA. Also Known
As.
7. Auction actions: NODS. I never go to auctions, as I am liable
to NOD off during the bidding and end up in debt for a lot of stuff I'd
have to haul home.
12. "Casino Royale" Bond girl __ Lynd: VESPER. Played by French
actress
Eva Green, not your garden variety Bond babe:
13. Undid: ERASED.
21. Costa del __: SOL.
23. Like seven Nolan Ryan games: NO HIT. He still holds the
record for NO HIT games:
25. Tournament edge: BYE.
In sports, BYE refers to a team automatically advancing to the
next round of tournament play without competing, and "bye week"
refers to a scheduled off week for a given team.
31. Bay Area county: MARIN. Also the name of the departing
conductor of the Baltimore Symphony,
Marin Alsop. Here's the county:
34. 1976 Michael York/Jenny Agutter sci-fi film: LOGANS RUN.
American Cinematographer described Logan's Run
as "one of the most technically intricate films ever made. Here are York
and Agutter:
Here is Michael York's
website where he
discusses his affliction with Amyloidosis, a blood plasma
disorder. Jenny Agutter currently plays Sister Julienne in the
popular Brit series "Call the Midwife". My genealogist sister tells me that I have a distant cousin who
writes for the series, but I've never met him.
36. Ersatz
intellectual: PSEUD.
38. Membership list: ROTA.
An early 17th century term: from Latin, literally ‘wheel’.
Did they have Rolodex's back then?
39. Phils and Nats: NLERS.
40. "Spamalot" co-creator: ERIC IDLE. Here's an ear worm for you
...
43. Pump numbers: OCTANES. A
rating of scale
for gasoline. OCTANE is also a chain of 8 carbon atoms, classed
as a hydrocarbon:
44. Jazz guitarist Montgomery: WES. (March 6, 1923 – June 15,
1968) was an American jazz guitarist.
One of the most influential guitarists of the twentieth century, Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with
the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a
distinctive sound. Here's his riff on Eleanor Rigby:
55. Food recall trigger: ECOLI. However certain strains of ECOLI
reside in our stomachs and are essential for digestion.
Here's the difference.
58. Console with a "360" second generation: XBOX.
61. Prefix with gram or graph: EPI.
An EPIGRAM is a short, pithy saying, usually in verse, often with
a quick, satirical twist at the end. A CSO to OwenKL for an
example!
An EPIGRAPH is a short statement (a sentence, a
paragraph, a poem) that comes at the beginning of a literary text, but the
words belong to a different author. Example of an Epigraph: ... At
the beginning of The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway quotes
Gertrude Stein: "You are all a lost generation."
The prefix can also connote "above", "on", or "beyond", et alii,
as in Epidermis, Epitaph, Epigenetics or
Epiousios. Here's a cross section of the skin showing the
Epidermis:
63. Flock female: EWE.
65. See 9-Across: OYL.
waseeley with special thanks to Malodorous Manatee