QOD: The nice thing about doing a crossword puzzle is, you know there is a solution. ~ Stephen Sondheim (né Stephen Joshua Sondheim; b. Mar. 22, 1930)
Look Ma, No ADS! The letters AD are missing from the ends of each theme answer.
17-Across. Embattled World War II city: STALINGR(AD). The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the major battles between Russian forces and Nazi German. The city, which is located in the confluence of the Tsaritsa and Volga rivers, was originally called Tsaritsyn. In 1925, the name was changed to Stalingrad in 1925 in honor of Joseph Stalin. Nikita Khrushchev had the name changed to Volograd in 1961. Just in case it's too subtle, the suffix GRAD means means City in Russian.
19-Across. Absolutely bonkers: STARK RAVING M(AD).
Apparently, STARK RAVING MAD was also the name of a short-lived sit-com on NBC.
Apparently, STARK RAVING MAD was also the name of a short-lived sit-com on NBC.
36. Capital ESE of Kabul: ISLAMAB(AD). The capital of Pakistan. The capital city is located East-SouthEast of Kabul, Afghanistan.
38. College student: UNDERGR(AD). The difference in your social life when you transition from being an Undergrad vs. Graduate Student.
48. Nation of Islam leader who was a mentor to Malcolm X: ELIJAH MUHAMM(AD). Elijah Muhammad (né Elijah Robert Poole; Oct. 7, 1897 ~ Feb. 25, 1975), was the son of a sharecropper and Baptist lay minister before developing the Nation of Islam, which is an African-American religious and political movement.
55. Online annoyances needed to complete five puzzle answers: POP-UP ADS.
Across:
1. Foretold: PRESAGED.
9. Biblical spy: CALEB. As I am sure you all remember from your Biblical history, after Moses and the Israelites wandered through the desert for 40 years, they came upon the land of Canaan. Moses sent out 12 men on a reconnaissance trip into Canaan and report back about its cities and inhabitants. Caleb was one of the spies Moses enlisted for this mission. Ten of the spies feared entering the land, but Caleb and Joshua thought otherwise. You can find out more about this mission in the Book of Numbers. Spoiler Alert: The land was deemed safe enough at the time for entry.
14. California resort island: CATALINA. Fun things to do on Catalina Island.
15. Let up: ABATED.
18. Lady of Las Palmas: SEÑORA. Today's Spanish lesson.
21. Source of a mole poblano ingredient: CACAO. History of Mole Poblano. The bitter-sweetness of the CACAO counteracts the spiciness of the peppers. You can get some Mole made with ants at Xochi in Houston, Texas.
24. "Now, where __?": WAS I. I was having a senior moment, there!
25. Spans often presidentially named: ERAs.
26. '60s Hagman co-star: EDEN. Think of I Dream of Jeannie. Barbara Eden (née Barbara Jean Morehead; b. Aug. 23, 1931) and Larry Hagmen (né Larry Martin Hagman; Sept. 21, 1931 ~ Nov. 23, 2012) starred in the television show.
28. Turn: GO BAD. How long has that milk been in the refrigerator? It has GOne BAD!
33. Rapper __ Wayne: LIL. His given name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (b. Sept. 27, 1982). I am not familiar with his work, but he seems to have a lot of ink.
34. Marble piece: SLAB.
35. Czech currency: KORUNA. Here are some Czech coins.
39. Partner of Marcus: NEIMAN. The high-end department store Or, as we used to call the store ~ Needless Markup. The store was originally founded by Herbert Marcus (Sept. 6, 1878 ~ Dec. 1950) and his sister, Carrie Marcus Neiman (May 3, 1883 ~ Mar. 5, 1953) in Dallas, Texas in 1907.
I associate the store with Stanley Marcus (né Harold Stanley Marcus; Apr. 20, 1905 ~ Jan. 22, 2002), who was the son of founder Herbert Marcus.
I associate the store with Stanley Marcus (né Harold Stanley Marcus; Apr. 20, 1905 ~ Jan. 22, 2002), who was the son of founder Herbert Marcus.
40. Zeno's home: ELEA. Zeno of ELEA was a pre-Socratic philosopher. He lived around 495 ~ 430 BCE. A little before my time.
41. Just out: NEW.
42. Log: ENTER.
43. Deal preceder: ANTE. Not as a business deal, but the dealing of cards in a poker game.
44. Place to nosh on a knish: DELI. Yum!
45. Musician Rundgren: TODD. For years, Liv Tyler (b. July 1, 1977), thought Todd Rundgren (né Todd Harry Rundgren; b. June 22, 1958) was her father. Her mother, Bebe Buel (b. July 14, 1953), was living with him at the time, but had a brief affair with Steven Tyler (b. Mar. 26, 1948) of Aerosmith fame.
Todd Rundgren is probably best know for his song, Hello, It's Me.
47. Braves slugger: AARON. As in Hammerin' Hank Aaron (né Henry Lewis Aaron; b. Feb. 5, 1934).
54. Edible oil: CANOLA.
59. More disturbing, as details: GORIER. Some of the recipients of the 32-Down Awards meet with very Gory endings.
60. Licorice-flavored brew: ANISE TEA. Anise tea is actual an herbal tea that is thought to soothe an upset stomach. How to Make Anise Tea.
61. Because: SINCE.
62. Demoted to the minors: SENT DOWN. Think baseball. A player who doesn't do well in the major leagues may be Sent Down to the minor league team.
Down:
1. Many Chrome runners: PCs. As in Personal Computers.
2. Muppet Rizzo, e.g.: RAT.
Not to be confused with Ratso Rizzo.
3. Greek vowel: ETA. Not the usual Estimated Time of Arrival we see in the puzzles.
4. Burrito seller's array: SALSAs. Yum!
5. Ginsburg associate: ALITO. Fooled me. I was going for Elena Kagan (b. Apr. 28, 1960). Ruth Bader Ginsburg (née Joan Ruth Bader; b. Mar. 15, 1933), Samuel ALITO (né Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr.; b. Apr. 1, 1950) and Elena Kagan are all Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court.
6. Actress Gershon: GINA. As in Gina Gershon (b. June 10, 1962)
7. Many an RPI grad: ENGR. Hi, Spitzboov!
8. Limited-access internet area: DARK WEB. Everything you wanted to know about the DARK WEB
9. Honduran homes: CASAS. More of today's Spanish lesson.
10. He played Fish on "Barney Miller": ABE VIGODA. Abe Vigoda (né Abraham Charles Vigoda; Feb. 24, 1921 ~ Jan. 26, 2016) was a constant victim of death hoaxes beginning in 1982 when People magazine erroneously reported his death. He lived another 34 years after this fake news.
11. Legal scholar Guinier: LANI. Lani Guinier (b. Apr. 19, 1950) was nominated to be the United States Attorney General in 1993. Unfortunately for her, some of her writings were deemed too controversial, hence her nomination was withdrawn. She specializes in Civil Rights and is now a law professor at Harvard.
12. "The most private of private schools": Hugh Laurie: ETON. Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) were classmates at Eton.
13. Marine threat: BERG. As in an Iceberg.
16. It holds water: DAM. Can you identify the dam in the background?
20. Bled: RAN. Adding a cup of vinegar or a half cup of salt to the rinse cycle will help hold colors from bleeding in the wash.
21. 2010s Caesars Palace regular, familiarly: CÉLINE. As in Céline Dion (née Céline Marie Claudette Dion; b. Mar. 30, 1968).
22. Out of the sack: ARISEN.
23. "Heads or tails": CALL IT!
26. Vigorous spirit: ELAN.
27. Pat: DAB. Here's a DAB of butter on a stack of pancakes.
29. Claim discovery, perhaps: ORE.
30. Phone in crime shows: BURNER. Lots of burner phones were used on The Wire.
31. San __, Texas: ANGELO. I am not familiar with this city in Texas, but here are some fun things to do in San Angelo.
32. Tongue-in-cheek award eponym: DARWIN. Unfortunately, often times the recipient of the Darwin Award ends up dead.
34. Wisenheimer: SMART ALEC.
35. Proposal support?: KNEE.
37. __ Zion Church: AME. As in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
38. Last: Abbr.: ULT. As in the Ultimate.
40. Turn into: END UP AS.
43. Naval brass: Abbr.: ADM. Grace Murray Hooper (Dec. 9, 1906 ~ Jan. 1, 1992) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. She was a computer scientist and was involved in the development of COBOL.
44. Stifled: DAMPED.
46. Orchard Field, today: O'HARE. The main airport in Chicago was renamed O'Hare in honor of Eddie"Butch" O'Hare (né Edward Henry O'Hare; Mar. 13, 1914 ~ Nov. 26, 1943) who was a naval aviator in the United States Navy. He was shot down in the pacific theater during World War II. The name of the airport was changed from Orchard Field to O'Hare International Airport in 1949.
47. Not to be missed: A MUST. The musical Hamilton is a Must See. I saw the show last weekend. it was fabulous.
48. Cardio readout: ECG. As in an ElectroCardioGraph, sometimes abbreviated as EKG.
49. Indochinese Peninsula nation: LAOS.
50. Cross letters: INRI. A crossword staple. From the Latin phrase: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. As we learned from last week's entry in a puzzle, different theologies have slightly different interpretations on how this phrase should be translated. So, let's just leave this alone.
51. Become part of: JOIN.
52. Refine: HONE.
53. Could hear __ drop: A PIN.
56. Volume One words, perhaps: A TO. No idea.
57. Morning coat?: DEW.
58. Title of respect, in Tokyo: SAN. Today's Japanese lesson.
And now for the Grid:
And now for the Grid:
Hahtoolah here. As Lemonade noted last week, he'll be sharing the Friday blog spot. So, you got me today. Hope you had as much fun with this puzzle as I did. Fear not, however, Lemonade will be back (just like Arnold!). In the meantime, I will sometimes sitting in for him on some Fridays.
