QOD: There is only one way to avoid criticism: Do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. ~ Aristotle, Greek philosopher
So Long, Farewell ...
How do you say "Good-bye" to a wild critter?
20-Across. Wild "adios"?: MAÑANA PIRANHA. Tomorrow Piranha. Piranha are surprisingly small fish, but they have seriously sharp teeth.
24-Across. Wild "goodbye"?: LATER ALLIGATOR.
41-Across. Wild "auf wiedersehen"?: TSCHUSS OCTOPUS. Bye-bye, octopi.
47-Across. Wild "au revoir"?: ADIEU COCKATOO.
Across:
1. Use a swizzle stick: STIR.
5. Soothes to sleep: LULLS. I hope this puzzle and commentary doesn't lull you to sleep.
10. Poker pot starter: ANTE.
14. Skin opening: PORE.
15. Starting lineup: A TEAM.
16. Read, as a QR code: SCAN. Did you know that the QR stands for Quick Response?
17. Wide-eyed with anticipation: AGOG.
18. Hollywood headliners: MOVIE STARS.
22. "Cornflake Girl" singer Amos: TORI. Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) is a singer-songwriter and pianist.
23. Dodge pickup truck: RAM.
31. All-important: VITAL.
32. + or - particles: IONS.
33. "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" cable network: HBO. Bryant Gumbel (né Bryant Charles Gumbel; b. Sept. 29, 1948) was born in New Orleans. He was a co-host of the Today show for 15 years before hosting the HBO sports show.
34. Targets of Terro bait traps: ANTS. I am not familiar with this particular brand of bait traps, but it was easy enough to find the Ants.
35. Popovich who is the winningest coach in NBA history: GREGG. Gregg Charles Popovich (b. Jan. 28, 1949) is the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.
37. Track competition: MEET.
38. Emulate Eileen Gu and Lindsey Vonn: SKI. Eileen Gu (née Eileen Feng Gu; b. Sept. 3, 2003) is a Chinese-American Olympic gold medalist. She competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics for China. Lindsey Vonn (née Lindsey Caroline Kildow; b. Oct. 18, 1984) is also an Olympic gold medalist.
39. __ and rave: RANT.
40. Hunts, with "on": PREYS.
45. "Big Blue" on the Big Board: IBM. Why Big Blue?
46. Fill a position: HIRE.
53. Sign of stress?: ACCENT MARK. Accent Marks found in French
ç – the cedilla (la cédille)
é – the acute accent (l'accent aigu)
â/ê/î/ô/û – the circumflex (l'accent circonflexe)
à/è/ì/ò/ù – the grave accent (l'accent grave)
ë/ï/ü – the trema (l'accent tréma)
55. French Quarter city, informally: NOLA. New Orleans, Louisiana.
56. Skinny tropical tree: PALM.
57. Take place next: ENSUE.
58. Bryce Canyon state: UTAH.
59. "Good point": TRUE.
60. Cook in the oven: ROAST.
61. Pad thai protein option: TOFU. Yummers! You, too, can make your own pad thai.
Down:
1. Canned meat used in Hawaiian cuisine: SPAM. You can even find spam treats at the gas station stores in Hawaii.
2. "Julius Caesar" costume: TOGA.
3. Multivitamin ingredient: IRON.
4. Meets on the river?: REGATTAS. The Head of the Charles rowing event in Boston will take place in October.
5. Actress Hedy in the National Inventors Hall of Fame: LAMARR. Hedy Lamarr (née Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; b. Nov. 9, 1914 ~ Jan. 19, 2000) was not only a movie star, but an inventor. Tinkering was one of her hobbies. During World War II, she learned that radio-controlled torpedos could easily jam and go off course. So, she and George Antheil devised a radio frequency-hopping system that couldn't be jammed. The invention was granted a patent in 1942. This later became the basis for the technology used in wireless telephones and Wi-Fi. In 2014, fourteen years after her death, Hedy Lamarr was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
6. Paradise: UTOPIA. The word Heaven also fits into the spaces provided.
7. Jeans maker Strauss: LEVI. Levi Strauss (né Löb Strauß; Feb. 26, 1829 ~ Sept. 26, 1902) began making jeans for gold miners in San Francisco in 1853.
8. Villain's hideout: LAIR.
9. Using questionable campaign tactics: SMEARING.
10. Inhaler user's malady: ASTHMA.
11. Campus sports gp.: NCAA. As in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
12. Road goo: TAR.
13. USN rank: ENS. As in Ensign.
19. Unexpected hiccups: SNAGS.
21. Yuletide song: NOEL.
24. Clickable connections: LINKS.
25. High point of a home tour?: ATTIC. Cute clue!
26. Deliberately deceive: LIE TO.
27. Ship captain's journal: LOG.
28. Org. exited in Brexit: THE EU. As in the European Union. Can you name all the countries in the EU?
29. Minds: OBEYS.
30. Turns rancid: ROTS.
31. Seemingly limitless: VAST.
35. Utility gauge: GAS METER.
36. Many ICU professionals: RNs. Registered Nurses will be found in the Intensive Care Units.
37. Snack food mascot with a monocle: MR. PEANUT.
39. Apply by massaging, as barbecue spices: RUB IN.
40. Politically motivated spending: PORK. An appropriate clue to follow the barbecue spices.
42. Fugitive's plea: HIDE ME!
43. Repeated song part: CHORUS.
44. Unwelcome windshield item: TICKET.
47. Rights advocacy gp.: ACLU. The American Civil Liberties Union has been around for over 100 years.
48. "Let's ... never do that": UM ... NO.
49. The Madrigal family home in "Encanto," e.g.: CASA. A continuation of today's Spanish lesson. Hi, Lucina!
50. Dog in Oz: TO-TO.
51. Norwegian saint: OLAF. Before he was known as a saint, Saint Olaf was known as Olaf II Haraldsson, King of Norway (995 ~ 1030).
52. Pearl Harbor site: OAHU.
53. Well-put: APT.
54. Catmobile, e.g.: CAR.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
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