Friday, June 4, 2021

QOD:  Travel has always been one of the best ways to make new memories and reconnect with your loved ones.  ~  Dr. Ruth Westheimer (née Karola Ruth Siegel, b. June 4, 1929), German-born American sex-therapist and author

Thursday, June 3, 2021

QOD:  It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little.  ~  Sydney Smith (June 2, 1771 ~ Feb. 22, 1845), Anglican cleric and writer

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

QOD:  So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.  ~  Norton Juster (June 2, 1929 ~ Mar. 8, 2021), American architect and children’s author

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

QOD:  The moments that make life worth living are when things are at their worst, and you find a way to laugh.  ~  Amy Schumer (née Amy Beth Schumer; b. June 1, 1981), American comedian and actress

Two

Two Truths and a Lie.  A classic Ice Breaker.

17-Across. Machine Gun Kelly or Pretty Boy Floyd: PUBLIC ENEMY.

George Kelly Barnes aka Machine Gun Kelly (July 18, 1895 ~ July 18, 1954)

Charles Arthur Floyd aka Pretty Boy Floyd (Feb. 3, 1904 ~ Oct. 22, 1934)

25-Across. Former name of Denver's Ball Arena: PEPSI CENTER.

34-Across. Breathtaking regimen?: AEROBIC EXERCISE.

49-Across. Underwater shocker: ELECTRIC EEL.

And the unifier:

56-Across. Get a delicate dialogue started ... and a hint to 17-, 25-, 34- and 49-Across: BREAK THE ICE.  The word Ice is "broken" up in each theme answer.  One Hundred of the Best Ice Breakers.

Another way to get rid of ice is 32-down. Melt: THAW.

White Rabbit!  As we enter a new month, some of us are also entering into hurricane season.

Across:

1. Object from a much earlier time: RELIC.

6. Wild guesses: STABS.  Also the name of a steak restaurant.

11. "__ Blinded Me With Science": 1983 hit: SHE.  This song came is at number 20 on the list of One-Hit Wonders.

14. Barn-raising sect: AMISH.  I think they are known for more than just barn-raising.

15. 14-inch paper size: LEGAL.

16. Triumphed: WON.

19. JFK posting: ETD.  Estimated Time of Departure.

20. Slipped up: ERRED.

21. Bit of staircase babyproofing: GATE.

22. Musician's asset: EAR.

29. Pests whose name means "fly" in a Bantu language: TSETSEs.  These flies are the vector for African Sleeping Disease.

31. "Bottomless" brunch drinks: MIMOSAS.  Yummers!  Mimosas are made with equal parts of champagne or sparkling wine and orange juice.  If you use cranberry juice instead of orange juice, the drink is called a Poinsettia.

33. Wildly excited: MANIC.

41. Strand at the airport, say: FOG IN.

42. Worked the soil: HOED.  *

43. Very few: NOT ALOT.

46. Like some decorative glass: STAINED.  The Rose Windows in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris were largely spared in the fire.

51. One with a code name: SPY.

52. Bordeaux, say: WINE.  Everything you wanted to know about Bordeaux wines, but didn't know to ask.

53. Loads: HEAPS.

55. Longoria of "Desperate Housewives": EVA.   Eva Longoria (née Eva Jacqueline Longoria; b. Mar. 15, 1975) was on the day-time soap opera The Young and the Restless before getting the role of Gabrielle Solis on Desparate Housewives.

62. Transgression: SIN.  There are 7 Deadly Sins.

63. Flat contract: LEASE.

64. Quell: ALLAY.

65. Bit of ink: TAT.   No pin to the skin for me.

66. Spud: TATER.  Yummers!

67. Soothing balm: SALVE.  Aloe, our crossword staple, was not enough letters.

Down:

1. Missy Elliott genre: RAP.  As you can infer from the clue, Missy Elliott (née Melissa Arnette Elliott; b. July 1, 1979) is a rapper.

2. Big Aussie bird: EMU.  Everything you wanted to know about Emus, but didn't know to ask.

3. Women's __: LIB.

4. Key in the water: ISLE.  Visiting the Florida Keys is on my bucket list.  The word key is a corruption of the Spanish word Cayo, which means a small island.

5. Tweets: CHIRPS.  The logo over the years.

6. Goes into low-power mode: SLEEPS.

7. Cares for, as a garden: TENDS.

8. Mature: AGE.

9. Loud comics sound: BAM.

10. Foxy: SLY.

11. Jogging wear: SWEATS.

12. Soothing cuppa: HOT TEA.

13. See 24-Down: ENDERS.  //  And: 24-Down. With 13-Down, collisions from behind: REAR.

18. Manitoba tribe: CREE.

21. Italian dumplings: GNOCCHI.  Yummers!  I am making a basil pesto gnocchi later this week.

22. R&B great James: ETTA.  Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

23. Activist and tennis legend Arthur: ASHE.  Arthur Ashe (né Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr.; July 10, 1043 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) also makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

26. Big-screen format: IMAX.

27. Cannes subject: CINE.  Home of a film festival.

28. Qatari leader: EMIR.

30. Batman villain who carries a double-headed coin: TWO 

FACE.

33. R&B's Boyz II __: MEN.

35. Hightail it: BOLT.

Usain Bolt (b. Aug. 21, 1986)

36. Horror movie helper: IGOR.

37. Big name in banking: CITI.

38. + or - particles: IONS.

39. Slip slowly through the cracks: SEEP.

40. Whirlpool: EDDY.

43. State-of-the-art: NEWEST.

44. "Booksmart" director Wilde: OLIVIA.  Olivia Wilde (née Olivia Jane Cockburn; b. Mar. 10, 1984) holds both American and Irish citizenship.

45. Renter: TENANT.

46. Explorer: SEEKER.

47. Suckling spot: TEAT.

48. Top dogs: ALPHAS.

50. Run after: CHASE.

54. "Sisters" star Ward: SELA.  We have lots of names in today's puzzle.

Sela Ann Ward (b. July 11, 1956)

56. Sandwich letters: BLT.  As in a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich.

57. Stephen of "V for Vendetta": REA.  Stephen Rea (b. Oct. 31, 1946) always looks so sad.

58. Put away: EAT.

59. Under the weather: ILL.

60. LeBron until 2010, for short: CAV.  LeBron James (né LeBron Raymone James; b. Dec. 30, 1984) has played professional basketball for a number of teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers twice, from 2003 - 2010 and again from 2014 - 2018.  Inbetween, he played for the Miami Heat.  He currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

61. Private __: EYE.

Here's the Grid:

*  The Ramones.

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