Tuesday, December 17, 2019

QOD:  The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.  ~  William Arthur Ward (Dec. 17, 1921 ~ Mar. 30, 1986), American writer

Do You Think I Am Gaining Weight?  Yes, this is the dreaded circle puzzle.  And, yes, I found this to be a bit of a challenge for a Tuesday.  Very clever, though.  The circled letters (which interestingly do not span words, but are contained completely in one word of the answer) are all measures of weight ~ beginning with a small unit and growing progressively to a large unit.

17-Across. Very exciting episode: HIGH DRAMA.  According to Britannica "an avoirdupois DRAM  contains 27.344 grains (1.772 grams) and is equal to one-sixteenth avoirdupois ounce of 437 1/2 grains. The term also refers to the fluid dram, a measure of capacity equal to one-eighth fluid ounce."

26-Across. One doing the play-by-play: SPORTS ANNOUNCER.  An OUNCE is 1/16 of a Pound.

44-Across. Stand-up comic who is a recurring panelist on "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me": PAULA POUNDSTONE.

60-Across. Subject of the 2019 biopic "Rocketman": ELTON JOHN.  A long TON is 2,240 pounds. A Short Ton is 2,000 pounds.  The Short Ton is used in the United States.

And the unifier, of sorts:

65-Across. Device related to the circled letters: SCALE.

Across:

1. Spanish kiss: BESO.   Today's Spanish lesson.

5. Tax law pros: CPAs.  As in Certified Public Accountants.  I think a few of our regulars are CPAs.

9. Shaving scratches: NICKS.

14. Tune from "Tosca": ARIA.

15. The "A" in SATB: ALTO.  Think of the singing voices:  Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass.

16. It's sent with a click: E-MAIL.

19. Rich boy in "Nancy" comics: ROLLO.  Nancy is a comic strip that began in the 1930s.  Apparently there was a recent up-date and revision.

20. Many garden flowers: ANNUALS.

21. Responding to an Evite: RSVP-ING.  RSVP is a derived from the French phrase Répondez S’il Vous Plaît, which means Please Respond.  The -ing ending makes it a bit clunky, but one should always respond yea or nea to an invitation.

23. CD-__: data holders: ROMS.

25. Tot's little piggy: TOE.

34. Hoisting device: WINCH.

35. Snobbish attitude: AIRS.

36. Road service org.: AAA.  As in the American Automobile Association.

37. Irish New Ager: ENYA.  Her given name is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (b. May 17, 1961).  No wonder she goes by ENYA.

38. Full of sass: LIPPY.

40. Dead set against: ANTI.  //  Fun to see this directly above 43-Across. Gets in on the deal: ANTES.

41. DDE's WWII domain: ETO.  As in the European Theater of Operations.

42. Hula-Hoops and Pogs: FADS.

 The Hula-Hoop came out in 1958.

Pogs were popular in the 1990s.

48. Orbiting research facility: Abbr.: ISS.  As in the International Space Station.

49. Spa treatment: PEEL.  I would prefer a Pedi(cure) over a Facial PEEL.

50. Turned on an axis: PIVOTED.  I initially tried Rotated.

54. Caviar choice: SHAD ROE.

59. __ acids: protein components: AMINO.

62. Baltimore NFLer: RAVEN.

63. Kind of pressure: PEER.

64. Oklahoma city NNW of Oklahoma City: ENID.  Enid, Oklahoma makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.  It is the 9th largest city in the State and has one of the largest grain storage capacity in the world.

66. PC scrolling key: PGDN.  It's the Page Down key.

67. British mil. honors: DSOs.  As in the Distinguished Service Order.

Down:

1. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band: BAHA.  The Baha Men are a Bahamian band.

2. Leprechaun land: ERIN.

3. Talk with one's hands: SIGN.  It is important that the individual hired to sign, especially in the public arena, be qualified to do so.

4. Island near Maui: OAHU.  The two islands are near each other, but not next to each other.

5. Guitarist Santana: CARLOS.  Carlos Santana (b. July 20, 1947) is a Mexican-American guitarist and musician.

6. Red Cross supply: PLASMA.

7. Bodega convenience: ATM.  As in the Automatic Teller Machine.

8. Go sky-high: SOAR.

9. On edge: NERVOUS.

10. "No plans that day": I'M OPEN.  I initially wanted I'm Free.

11. Colombian metropolis: CALI.  I think this is a CSO to our friend Chickie.  I think she lived in Cali, Columbia.

12. Pottery oven: KILN.

13. Laborious walk: SLOG.

18. Vader in "Star Wars": DARTH.

22. Stephen King work: STORY.  I would have classified his work as Horror novels.  We both share the same alma mater, although he graduated several years before I entered the university.

24. Buys eagerly: SNAPS UP.

26. Look (for), as electronic bugs: SWEEP.

27. Vessel of 1492: PINTA.  One of Christopher Columbus's ships.

28. "The joke's __!": ON YOU.

29. Color TV pioneer: RCA.

30. __ in the bud: NIP.

31. "The Divine Comedy" segment: CANTO.

32. In one's tummy: EATEN.

33. Salary increase: RAISE.

38. Go unrenewed: LAPSE.

39. Bachelor's famous last words?: I DO.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

40. Raid target: ANT.

42. Slick trick: FAST ONE.

43. C.S. Lewis lion: ASLAN.  I can never remember this lion's name.  Aslan is a major character in the book The Chronicles of Narnia.

45. Model train giant: LIONEL.  In 1900, Joshua Lionel Cowen (Aug. 25, 1877 ~ Sept. 8, 1965) and Harry C. Grant founded the Lionel Corporation.  Although it made a number of novelty toys, it is best known for its model trains.  In 2006, the Lionel electric train became the 1st electric toy to be inducted into the  National Toy Hall of Fame.

46. Stacked like Tupperware: NESTED.

47. Do a ranch vet's job: DEHORN.

50. They beat bogeys: PARS.  Golfing reference.

51. Apple computer: iMAC.

52. "Choose-A-Sheet" paper towels brand: VIVA.

53. Captain Sparrow portrayer: DEPP.  Johnny Depp (né John Christopher Depp, II; b. June 9, 1963) played Captain Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

55. Kept the party hopping, for short: DJ'ED.  As in the individual who is the Disc Jockey.

56. Howard and Silver: RONS.  As in actors Ron Howard (né Ronald William Howard; b. Mar. 1, 1954), also known as Opie, and Ron Silver (né Ronald Arthur Silver; July 2, 1946 ~ Mar. 15, 2009).  The latter died of cancer at age 62.

57. Lake Erie state: OHIO.  It's the State that's Round on the Ends and HI in the Middle!

58. Circle's lack: ENDS.

61. Journey segment: LEG.

Here's the Grid: