QOD: Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

QOD: Each of us tells our own story even without speaking. ~ Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 ~ Apr. 1, 1991), American dancer and choreographer

No Ifs, Ands, or Butts? The last word of each theme answer refers to one's tushie.

17-Across. * Youthful blush, say: ROSY CHEEKS.

26-Across. * Idler at the shore: BEACH BUM.

53-Across. * Parlor piece: LOVE SEAT.

62-Across. * Frank holders: HOTDOG BUNS.

And the unifier:

37-Across. Hit from behind ... and what the answers to starred clues are?: REAR ENDED. A bit of a racy theme, don't you think?

Across:

1. Urges to attack, with "on": SICs.

5. Actor Hawke: ETHAN. Ethan Hawke (b. Nov. 6, 1970) has appeared on the Big Screen, television and live theater. His first wife was Uma Thurman (b. Apr. 29, 1970).

10. Chew (on): GNAW.

14. Help out during exercises, as in a gym: SPOT.

This is why there are women-only health centers.

15. LP player: PHONO.

16. One of a model's repertoire: POSE. Before he was an actor, Ted Danson (b. Dec. 29, 1947) was a model.

19. Common country suffix: -STAN. Think of Afghanistan; Turkmenistan; Uzbeckistan; Tajikistan; Pakistan ...

20. Palindromic magazine: ELLE. This magazine is often found in the crossword puzzles.

21. __ Alamos, NM: LOS. Los Alamos is best know for being the home of the atomic bomb.

23. Oil field?: ART. Cute clue.

24. Look up to: ESTEEM.

28. Double-crosser: RAT.

29. Lavish bash: FÊTE.

31. Spanish rice dish: PAELLA. Yummers! I had some fantastic paella when I was in Barcelona. I have never tried to make it, but here is a recipe.

32. Not commissioned, after "on": SPEC.

34. Author Jaffe: RONA. Rona Jaffe (June 12, 1931 ~ Dec. 30, 2005), was a prolific author. I read a lot of her work when I was in college.

36. Like Lady Liberty's crown: RAYED.

40. Farrier: SHOER. Technically, although not just any shoer. A farrier is essentially a podiatrist for a horse and does more than just shoe horses.

43. Quite a distance: AFAR.

44. Cocksure: SMUG.

48. Coming from the heart?: AORTAL.

50. "Your guess __ good ... ": IS AS.

52. Solver's cry: AHA!

55. Docking places: WHARFS.

57. Cold War mil. program: SDI. As in the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as the Star Wars Program.

58. Gate announcement, briefly: ETD. Think of the gate at the airport. Estimated Time of Departure.

59. Modern mining target: DATA.

60. Cantina cooker: OLLA.

67. Causing yawns, often: DULL.

68. Archer's weapon: ARROW.

69. Mine entrance: ADIT. This word is derived from the Latin aditus, which means entrance.

70. Central Iowa city: AMES. Ames, Iowa is the home of Iowa State University.

71. Watch partner: LEARN.

72. Peter or Paul (but not Mary): TSAR. Peter I, Tsar of Russia (June 9, 1672 ~ Feb. 8, 1725) was known as Peter the Great. Paul I, Tsar of Russia was the son of Catherine the Great. He was not so great and was later murdered.

Down:

1. Cold War state: Abbr.: SSR. As in the Soviet Socialist Republics.

2. Wall St. news: IPO. As in Initial Public Offering.

3. "Les Misérables" girl: COSETTE. There are so many versions of this Victor Hugo classic.

4. Bob or weave: STYLE. As in a hair style.

5. Collectibles like ticket stubs and matchbooks: EPHEMERA. These are things that are enjoyed for a short period of time. Actually, if they are collectibles, don't they last and last? The ticket may be used for a short period of time, but you can keep the stub forever.

6. Not just any: THE. Meh!

7. Gardening tool: HOE.

8. Bracelet site for one on house arrest: ANKLE.

9. "Outta luck!": NO SOAP! The phrase "No Soap!" apparently first appeared in publication in a nonsense poem in 1755. You can read the poem here.

10. Docs who don't specialize: GPs. As in General Practitioners.

11. Especially: NOTABLY.

12. Usually: AS A RULE.

13. Lost it: WENT MAD.

18. Musical pitch indicator: CLEF.

Treble, Base, Alto, and Tenor Clefs

22. Close call: SCARE.

24. Trauma ctrs.: ERs. As in Emergency Rooms.

25. Maple extract: SAP.

26. Perk from work: BENEFIT.

27. Two of them are better than one: HEADS.

30. When tripled, a 1970 WWII film: TORA.

33. Minotaur's island: CRETE.

35. Santa __: dry winds: ANAs.

38. Clear the board: ERASE.

39. Deplete, as a bank account: DRAW DOWN.

40. Grill-cleaning solution: SAL SODA. I had never heard of Sal Soda. Apparently it is a sodium salt of carbonic acid.

41. Gangster: HOODLUM.

42. One of the Wright brothers: ORVILLE. Wilbur (Apr. 16, 1867 ~ May 30, 1912) and Orville (Aug. 19, 1871 ~ Jan. 30, 1948) Wright were aviation pioneers. Because Wilbur died many years before his brother, Orville, Orville may have revised history to give him a greater role in flight than his brother.