QOD: Every once in a while, someone will mail me a single popcorn kernel that didn’t pop. I’ll get out a fresh kernel, tape it to a piece of paper and mail it back to them. ~ Orville Redenbacher (né Orville Clarence Redenbacher; July 16, 1907 ~ Sept. 19, 1995)
I Feel Good. Ah, the dreaded Circle puzzle. The letters in the circles are anagrams of feelings. Sadly, most of the feelings shown today are not pleasant ones.
17. "La La Land" Oscar nominee: RYAN GOSLING. As in ANGRY.
25. Obsolescent coin-op communication device: PAY PHONE. As in HAPPY.
47. Secondhand rides: USED CARS. As in SCARED.
55. Eerie stillness: DEAD SILENCE. As in SAD.
34. What a bittersweet moment may evoke ... and a hint to each set of circled letters: MIXED FEELINGS.
Across:
1. Singer LuPone: PATTI. Patti LuPone (née Patti Ann LuPone; b. Apr. 21, 1949) played the role of Eva Perón in the Broadway production of Evita. She later played the mother on the television drama Life Goes On.
6. Certain Jamaican, religiously: RASTA.
11. Dol. parts: CTS. 100 Cents makes up 1 Dollar.
14. Get-go: ONSET.
15. Predictable: USUAL.
16. Poke bowl fish: AHI. Poke bowls are becoming very trendy. Poke (pronounced "po-kay") means "to cut" or "to slice crosswise" in Hawaiian and is a raw sliced fish dish. I first had poke when visiting in Hawaii and it was delicious.
19. Gym exercise unit: REP. As in a Repetition.
20. Beat in a hot dog contest: OUT EAT. The Annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was held earlier this month ~ on July 4th. The winner downed 74 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Wouldn't you rather slow down and enjoy your food?
21. Farm yield: CROP.
Crop Circles
22. Singer Styles and illusionist Houdini: HARRYs. I am not familiar with Harry Styles (b. Feb. 1, 1994).
Harry Houdini (né Erik Weisz; Mar. 24, 1874 ~ Oct. 31, 1926) was a well known illusionist. I learned recently that he had a younger brother who was also a magician and illusionist. His brother went by the name Theodore Hardeen (né Ferenc Dezső; Mar. 4, 1876 ~ June 12, 1945).
28. Fateful March day: IDES. Beware the Ides of March. Actually, each month has an ides, which is the middle of the month. March is particularly fateful because it is the traditional date that Julius Caesar was killed.
29. Not timely, as a birthday wish: BELATED.
30. African adventure: SAFARI.
Not to be confused with the Web browser.
33. Jazz great Fitzgerald: ELLA. Elle Jane Fitzgerald (Apr. 25, 1917 ~ June 15, 1996) and I have become good friends. This is the third time she has made a guest appearance on a day I prepare the blog commentary.
39. "I don't believe you!": LIAR.
40. Rudely sarcastic: SNARKY.
42. "Dirty" drink: MARTINI.
46. Two of a kind: PAIR.
49. Bites (on): CHOMPS.
51. Eye covers: LIDS.
52. Dr. Seuss' real last name: GEISEL. We remember Dr. Seuss (né Theodor Seuss Giesel; Mar. 2, 1904 ~ Sept. 24, 1991), as a children's author. Before he began writing children's literature, however, his early work is much darker, discriminatory and was often censored.
54. Chocolate dog: LAB.
60. Swelled head: EGO.
61. NOW co-founders: WOMEN. NOW stands for the National Organization for Women. It was founded in 1966 by 28 women, including Representative Shirley Chisholm (1924 ~ 2005), Betty Friedan (1921 ~ 2006), and Pauli Murray (1910 ~ 1985).
62. Ski run bump: MOGUL.
63. __ screen: medical test for poisons, etc.: TOX.
64. Nonreactive, as gases: INERT. The inert gasses are on the far right of the Periodic Table. They include Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, and Radon.
65. Uppity types: SNOBS.
Down:
1. Spanish "for": POR. Today's Spanish lesson.
2. "Pick a card, __ card": ANY.
3. Homeland Security screening org.: TSA. As in the Transportation Security Administration, which is housed in the United States Department of Homeland Security.
4. Jazz ensemble instrument: TENOR SAX.
5. PC troubleshooter: IT GUY. As in the Information Technology Guy, more commonly known as the Techie.
6. Trick: RUSE.
7. __ on the wrist: A SLAP.
8. Befitting: SUITABLE.
9. Sun-lover's hue: TAN.
10. "Solve for x" subj.: ALG. As in Algebra.
11. Snack for Bugs: CARROT.
12. Dream partner: THE ONE. Cute clue.
13. Drank daintily: SIPPED.
18. Tie-breaking NHL periods: OTs. As in Over Time periods in the National Hockey League.
21. When doubled, a Latin dance: CHA. The dance is the Cha-Cha.
22. That dude's: HIS.
23. 2018 Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Driver: ADAM. Adam Driver (b. Nov. 19, 1983) received the Best Supporting Oscar for his role in BlacKKKlansman, in which he played a white undercover police officer who infiltrated the Klan.
24. Int.-lowering mortgage deal: RE-FI. As in ReFinancing the mortgage.
26. Hollers: YELLS.
27. Like the nose on your face?: PLAIN.
31. Ancient artifact: RELIC. Ancient Relics may appear where you least expect them.
32. Menzel who voices Elsa in "Frozen": IDINA. Idina Menzel (b. May 30, 1971) had been in many Broadway musicals.
33. Racket end?: EER. As in Racketeer.
35. Legitimate target: FAIR GAME.
36. Custard-filled pastry: NAPOLEON. Yummers!
37. Mass unit: GRAM.
38. Uno card: SKIP. I can't remember the last time I played Uno, so didn't remember this card.
41. Nos. on wine labels: YRS. As in the Year of the vintage.
42. Short-in-front, long-in-back men's hairstyle: MULLET.
43. Crumbly Italian cheese: ASIAGO.
44. Netflix competitor: REDBOX. Redbox began as a DVD rental service found in malls and grocery stores. They now offer a streaming service.
45. QB stats: TDs. A football reference to the Quarter Backs and Touch Downs.
48. Ritual Jewish meal: SEDER. Here is a brief explanation of the items found on the SEDER plate. There are at least 5 items on the Seder plate: (1) a Shank Bone; (2) an Egg; (3) Bitter Herbs, also known as mayor; (4) vegetable; and (5) Charoset, a sweet mixture generally made of fruits and nuts. Many seder plates all include an additional bitter herb.
49. Long-running forensic series: CSI. Stands for Crime Scene Investigation. I watched the original show for a few years when it first came on in the early 2000s, but lost interest after a few years. The show ran for 15 years.
50. Command posts: HELMS. Hi, Spitzboov!
53. Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISN'T.
55. Sobriety checkpoint initials: DWI. As in Driving While Intoxicated.
56. Loooong time: EON.
58. Baby bear: CUB.
59. Raised railroads: ELs.
The El in Chicago.
I hope this puzzle left you feeling Happy. I known I am happy.
And here's the grid:
I'll leave you with a QOD: Every once in a while, someone will mail me a single popcorn kernel that didn’t pop. I’ll get out a fresh kernel, tape it to a piece of paper and mail it back to them. ~ Orville Redenbacher (né Orville Clarence Redenbacher; July 16, 1907 ~ Sept. 19, 1995)
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