QOD: Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Tuesday, 27 August 2019

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

QOD: There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves. ~ Lyndon B. Johnson (né Lyndon Baines Johnson; Aug. 27, 1908 ~ Jan. 22, 1973)

It's Meaningless! The first letter of each word in the theme answers (M and T), when said aloud together, sounds like EMPTY.

17-Across. Toy on a track: MODEL TRAIN.

24-Across. Native growth in an Asian orchard: MANGO TREE. Mangos are so good in a fruit salad.

39-Across. Grilling accessory: MEAT THERMOMETER.

49-Across. Result of too-tight jeans, perhaps: MUFFIN TOP.

And the Unifier:

62-Across. Blather, and a phonetic hint to the four other longest answers: EMPTY WORDS. The word Empty like the letters M and T.

Across:

1. Makes a hasty getaway: LAMS.

Lambs on the Lam.

5. Insect stage after larva: PUPA.

9. Bathroom wall piece: TILE.

13. Not many: A FEW.

14. Umpires' decisions: CALLS. I initially tried Balls. Unfortunately, it fit all too well.

16. Cabinet dept. with a windmill on its seal: ENER. As in the Department of Energy. There are several other items on the seal in addition to the windmill.

19. Volcanic output: LAVA. // And 26-Down: Volcanic output = ASH.

20. WWI French soldier: POILU. Raise you hand if you knew this non-Tuesday word. The word literally means "hairy" or "hairy one." Many of the front line French infantrymen were from rural, agricultural backgrounds and wore beards and bushy mustaches.

21. Almanacs, calendars, etc.: YEARLIES.

23. Drag one's feet: STALL.

The first time I saw stalls like these was in a hotel in Beijing.

25. Philosopher __-tzu: LAO.

27. Mme., in Madrid: SRA. Today's Spanish lesson.

28. Money for the poor: ALMS.

32. Ancient colonnade: STOA.

35. Bumper sticker word: ELECT.

42. Award for "Green Book": OSCAR. The movie Green Book won Best Picture as well as the Best Original Screenplay.

43. Spanish appetizer: TAPA. Yummers!

44. Ward of "Once and Again": SELA. Sela Ward (née Sela Ann Ward; b. July 11, 1956) also starred in the in the 2019 television show FBI.

45. Korean soldier: ROK. Another non-Tuesday word. The Republic of Korea Army is known as ROK.

47. Springsteen's "Born in the __": USA.

54. TV monitoring device: V-CHIP. The "V" may stand for either Violence or Viewer Controlled.

59. Directed: OVER SEEN.

60. Maine college town: ORONO. My alma mater.

61. "Star Trek" helmsman: SULU.

65. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI. These fictional post-humans from H.G. Well's 1895 novel have become a crossword staple.

66. Gave an address: SPOKE. Not a physical address, but an oration.

67. Foul mood: SNIT. // And 55-Down: In a foul mood: CROSS. I liked how these to clues and answers CROSSed.

68. Director Gus Van __: SANT. Gus van SANT (b. July 24, 1952) is a film director, best know for Good Will Hunting and My Own Private Idaho.

69. Laundry blemish: SPOT.

70. Red and Coral, but not pink: SEAS. Nailed it! The Red SEA is between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It's a great place for snorkeling. The Coral SEA is off the east coast of Australia.

Down:

1. Reading lights: LAMPS.

2. Underway, to Sherlock: AFOOT.

3. TV, radio, newspapers, etc.: MEDIA.

4. "Great!": SWELL. I first tried Super, then Sweet!, before the perps finally led me to SWELL.

5. Interest rate fig.: PCT. As in Percent.

6. Short-lived Egypt-Syr. alliance: UAR. As in the United Arab Republic. It was a sovereign state from 1958 to 1961.

7. __ del Rey: L.A. beach community: PLAYA. More of today's Spanish lesson. Playa is Spanish for Beach.

8. Roswell crash victim, supposedly: ALIEN.

9. Stretch the truth: TELL TALES.

10. "... bombs bursting __": IN AIR.

11. Protective river embankment: LEVEE.

12. Clear from the blackboard: ERASE.

15. Hitches: SNAGS.

18. Temporary calm: LULL.

22. Composer Ned: ROREM. Ned Rorem (b. Oct. 23, 1923) is an American composer. In 1975, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Music. I don't believe I am familiar with his work.