QOD: Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Tuesday, 30 November 2021

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

QOD: The definition of ambivalence is watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Cadillac. ~ David Mamet (né David Alan Mamet; b. Nov. 30, 1947), American playwright

Do Opposites Attract?

20-Across. Available workers, statistically: LABOR MARKET. Labor Day is the first Monday in September.

27-Across. Meteorology, e.g.: EARTH SCIENCE. Earth Day falls on April 22.

45-Across. Game in which grabbing a piece of cloth replaces tackling: FLAG FOOTBALL. Flag Day is on June 14.

And the unifier:

54-Across. Period when everything is backwards ... and where the starts of 20-, 27- and 45-Across might be found?: OPPOSITE DAY. Hand up if you have heard of Opposite Day. Apparently it is a real day and is observed on January 25.

This clue indicates that the first word of each theme answer can be placed Opposite word Day to give us a new concept. Note that each of these "days" is a recognized holiday: Labor Day (1st Monday of September), Earth Day (April 22), and Flag Day (June 14). It appears to me Market Day and Science Day can also valid "days", albeit not recognized holidays. I don't believe I have ever heard of a specific Football Day.

Across:

1. Way in the woods: PATH.

5. Japanese cattle breed yielding Kobe beef: WAGYU. Not a Tuesday word, but I think we have seen it in the puzzles before. Everything you wanted to know about Wagyu Cattle, but didn't know to ask.

10. Fleecy footwear brand: UGGS. Supposedly, the owner named his line of footwear Uggs because his wife thought they were ugly. She was right.

14. Currency named for a continent: EURO. The money is so colorful.

15. Used for dinner, as dishes: ATE ON. Did anyone pull out the good china for Thanksgiving?

16. Fit: SUIT.

17. Burnett on CNN: ERIN. Erin Isabelle Burnett (b. July 2, 1976) is the anchor of OutFront on CNN.

18. Author Dahl: ROALD. Roald Dahl (Sept. 13, 1916 ~ Nov. 23, 1990) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. He is arguably best known for his children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

19. Crib sheet user: BABY.

23. "Oedipus __": REX.

24. Set of TV programs: SERIES. Law & Order is a long-running series with several spin-offs.

25. First name in civil rights history: ROSA. Rosa Parks (née Rosa Louise McCauley; Feb. 4, 1913 ~ Oct. 24, 2005) is best know for her role in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott of December 1955, when she refused to give up her seat, but do you know of Claudette Colvin (b. Sept. 5, 1939), a 15-years old schoolgirl who had refused to give up her seat in March of 1955?

Rosa Parks (left) and Claudette Colvin (right)

32. Gets ready for a selfie: POSES.

35. Tried to be like: EMULATED.

36. Before, in poems: ERE.

37. Explosion: BLAST.

39. Rock in a vein: ORE. This is now a crossword staple.

40. Merchant: RETAILER. /// And 9-Down. Go even lower than, pricewise: UNDERCUT.

43. Cling wrap brand: SARAN.

48. Spanish kiss: BESO. Today's Spanish lesson. Hi, Lucina!

49. Meteorologist's pressure line: ISOBAR.

52. Do stuff?: GEL.

58. Out of the office: AWAY.

60. Made a boo-boo: ERRED.

61. NFL analyst Tony: ROMO. Tony Romo (né Antonio Ramiro Romo; b. Apr. 21, 1980) played for the Dallas Cowboys for 14 seasons, from 2003 until 2016.

62. Google-owned navigation app: WAZE.

63. Volleyball great Gabrielle: REECE. I am not up on professional volleyball players, so the perps helped me out with her name. Gabrielle Allyse Reece (b. Jan. 6, 1970) played volleyball for Florida State University before she turned pro.

64. Deuce defeater: TREY.

65. Had down pat: KNEW.

66. Dalmatian features: SPOTS.

67. __ Domini: ANNO. Today's Latin lesson. The term is translated to mean: the year of the Lord, and is generally abbreviated as AD.

Down:

1. Banana leftover: PEEL.

2. Subtle vibes: AURAS. Everything you wanted to know about Auras, but didn't know to ask.

3. Wichita or Omaha: TRIBE.

4. Distinguished guest, perhaps: HONOREE.

5. Not so cold: WARMER.

6. "Raise your glass!": A TOAST!

7. Camping equipment: GEAR. Not a Tent.

8. The "sun" in "sunny side up": YOLK.

10. Thumb drive port: USB. As in Universal Serial Bus. One now needs an adapter for the new Apple computers. The standard USB doesn't fit.

11. Co-signer, e.g.: GUARANTOR.

12. Taunt: GIBE.

13. River in which Achilles was dipped: STYX. Greek mythology.

21. Narrow inlets: RIAS.

22. Work really hard: TOIL.

26. Caribbean, for one: SEA. Also the name of a 1989 novel by James Michener.

28. Essence: HEART.

29. Texting format, for short: SMS. As in Short Message Service.

30. Michael of "Arrested Development": CERA. Michael Austin Cera (b. June 7, 1988) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

31. Genesis garden: EDEN. Another crossword staple.

32. Flawless, in slang: PERF. Because it's just to tiring to say: Perfect.

33. Baseball's Hershiser: OREL. Orel Hershiser (né Orel Leonard Hershier, IV; b. Sept. 16, 1958) is a former baseball pitcher. He played in the majors for 18 years.

34. Light on fire: SET ABLAZE.

37. Humorous outtakes: BLOOPERS.

38. Cancer follower: LEO. As in in signs of the zodiac.

41. Golden __: AGE.

42. "In that case ... ": IF SO.

43. Vending machine opening: SLOT.

44. Calgary's province: ALBERTA. Hi, CanadianEh!

46. Split equally: BISECT.

47. Comments only for the audience: ASIDES.

50. Decorate: ADORN. Some people go to extreme measures to adorn their homes this time of year.

51. Asian noodle dish: RAMEN. Several years ago, one of our regulars (sadly, I don't remember who), provided us with a recipe for a Bird Seed Salad that used Ramen noodles. I have made that salad many times when I need to bring a dish to a potluck dinner. It is delicious.