Tuesday, May 18, 2021

QOD:  If you retain nothing else, always remember the most important rule of beauty, which is: Who Cares?  ~  Tina Fey (née Elizabeth Stamatina Fey; b. May 18, 1970), American comedian and actress

Stretched Thin.

20-Across. Go ballistic: HIT THE CEILING.

35-Across. 2002 biopic about con man Frank Abagnale: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.

41-Across. Cleaner of teeth: DENTAL HYGIENIST.

And the Unifier:

53-Across. Overextended ... and what's literally in each set of circles: STRETCHED THIN.  The word THIN is Stretched out in each of the theme answers.

Across:

1. Sousa specialty: MARCH.  John Philip Sousa (Nov. 6, 1854 ~ Mar. 6, 1932) was know as the American March King.  USA is even in his name.

6. Show appreciation for the performance: CLAP.

10. __ 67: Montreal World's Fair: EXPO.   I went to Expo 67.  I don't remember anything about it other than Buckminister Fuller's geodesic dome pavilion that housed the United States exhibit.

14. Amtrak speedster: ACELA.  I learned of the Acela from doing the crossword puzzles.

15. Hand-up command: HALT.

16. Really funny sort: RIOT.

17. Food truck fare: TACOS.  There is a taco truck that can be found downtown in Louisiana's capital city near the government buildings.

18. McDonald's slogan since 2003: I'M LOVIN' IT.  The story behind the slogan.

22. Bogey on a par 5: SIX.  A golfing reference.

23. Homer's TV neighbor: NED.

24. Tough H.S. exams: APs.  As in the Advanced Placement exams.

27. Take the sloop out: SAIL.  A sloop is a single mast sailboat.

30. Self-indulgent period: ME TIME.

38. Opera highlight: ARIA.  An Aria from Carmen, one of my favorite operas.

39. Kimono sash: OBI.  Not to be confused with Obi0-Wan Kenobi.

40. First female attorney general: RENO.  Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 ~ Nov. 7, 2016) served as the United States Attorney General from 1993 until 2001 during the Clinton administration.

46. Takes care of: SEES TO.

47. Hammett pooch: ASTA.  Asta was the Wirehaired Fox Terrier from Dashiell Hammett's 1934 novel, The Thin Man.

48. Kickoff aid: TEE.

49. Balaam's mount: ASS.  The story of Balaam and his Ass can be found in the Biblical book of Numbers (22:21-39).  The story has been the depicted in many paintings, including this one by Rembrandt.

51. Unit of heat: Abbr.: BTU.  As in a British Thermal Unit.

60. In exact terms: PRECISELY.

62. Optimist's phrase: I HOPE.

63. Chef's flavoring: HERB.

64. Ensnare: TRAP.

65. "Take a load off": RELAX.

66. Uncertain: IFFY.

67. "This round's __": ON ME.

68. Romantic rendezvous: TRYST.

Down:

1. Course with operations: MATH.

2. Trendy berry: AÇAI.  These berries have become a crossword staple.  They look a bit like blueberries.

3. Four-sided fig.: RECT.  As in a Rectangle.

4. Stops bleeding: CLOTS.

5. Cannabis concentrate: HASHISH.

6. Stylish: CHIC.

7. Poor, as an excuse: LAME.

8. Make-or-break poker bet: ALL IN.

9. Ancient Greek astronomer: PTOLEMY.  Everything you wanted to know about Claudius Ptolemy (circa 85 ~ 165 CE), but didn't know to ask.

10. Activist Brockovich: ERIN.  Erin Brockovich (b. June 22, 1960) is an environmental activist who was instrumental in building the case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for contaminating the drinking water.  Her story was made into a movie that starred Julia Roberts.

11. Ped __: street sign: XING.

12. Hawaiian staple: POI.  It's not as good as it looks.

13. MLB Hall of Famer Mel: OTT.  Mel Ott (né Melvin Thomas Ott; Mar. 2, 1909 ~ Nov. 21, 1958) was a Louisiana native.  He makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Sadly, he was killed from injuries sustained in a car accident at age 49.

19. The "v" in vlog: VIDEO.

21. Midterm, e.g.: EXAM.

24. USMA and USNA: Abbr.: ACADS.  Both are Academies.

25. "Gay" capital of song: PAREE.

26. "Mostly Ghostly" series writer R.L. __: STINE.  R.L. Stein (né Robert Lawrence Stine; b. Oct. 8, 1943) also makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  He is best know for his young adult horror fiction novels.

28. The "I" in I.M. Pei: IEOH.  I.M. Pei (né Ieoh Ming Pei; Apr. 26, 1917 ~ May 16, 2019) was a Chinese-born American architect and had a long career designing very unique buildings.  He died 2 years ago shortly after his 102nd birthday.  One of his most famous designes is the pyramid outside the Louvre.

29. Niger neighbor: LIBYA.

31. Chance to play: TURN.

32. Ensure the win: ICE IT.

33. Minister's house: MANSE.

34. Cybermessage: E-NOTE.

36. Musical with the song "Memory": CATS.  I saw the musical Cats years ago.  I don't understand why it was so popular.

37. Newton fruit: FIGS.  Yummers!  If you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own.  Nabisco's Newtons now come in several flavors, including blueberry, strawberry and apple cinnamon.

42. Gaming brand since 1972: ATARI.

43. Is bested by: LOSES TO.

44. The Beatles' "Let __": IT BE.

45. Offer a humble retraction: EAT DIRT.

50. Back of the boat: STERN.

52. __ Pendragon, King Arthur's father: UTHER.  He doesn't look very happy.

53. Medieval laborer: SERF.

54. Frozen dessert chain: TCBY.  The Country's Best Yogurt.  Another big yogurt chain is I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!  If the two companies merged, would the merger be known as I Can't Believe It's the Country's Best Yogurt?

55. Dig for quahogs, say: CLAM.  A quahog is a hard-shelled clam found in the mud flats along the Atlantic Coast.

56. Flashy promotion: HYPE.

57. Sacred: HOLY.

58. Hoppy brews, briefly: IPAs.  As in India Pale Ales.  Here is an article about the origin of the IPA.

59. "Whose turn is it?" shout: NEXT.

60. Letter before chi: PHI.

61. Ump's NBA counterpart: REF.  As in a Referee at the Basketball game.

Here's the Grid.

חתולה