Tuesday, August 2, 2022

QOD:  Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.  ~  Marjorie Barstow (1899 ~ 1995), author

I'd Put a SPELL on You if only I could find my BOOK.

16-Across. *   "Please don't get hurt!": BE CAREFUL!

22-Across. *   Have to pay back extra: OWE INTEREST.

34-Across. *   "Seriously!?": OH, BROTHER!

51-Across. *   Mall store with engagement rings: KAY JEWELERS.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Wizard's reference, and what the first words of the answers to the starred clues do: SPELL BOOK.  BeOweOhKay.

Across:

1. Tappable screen symbols: ICONS.

6. Spanish "Bravo!": ¡OLÉ!  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

9. Canine cries: ARFs.  //  And 45-Down. Sharp barks: YIPs.

13. "Water Lilies" painter Claude: MONET.  Once when we were in France, we went to Giverny where Monet painted the Water Lilies.  We checked into this little hotel where we had to pay upfront.  The hotel manager said to us: Giff me the Monet!  So we paid him.

14. Nemesis: FOE.

15. Chicken structure: COOP.

18. Banks of fashion: TYRA.  Tyra Lynne Banks (b. Dec. 4, 1973) was also the host of America's Next Top Model.

19. Listening device: WIRE TAP.

20. "Wake Up With Al" weather anchor: ROKER.  It seems like Al Roker (né Albert Lincoln Roker; b. Aug. 20, 1954) has been doing the weather forever!

21. "The Bachelorette" TV network: ABC.

26. Movie roll: REEL.  Are these still used?

28. Transitioned: SEGUED.

29. Cultural funding org.: NEA.  As in the National Endowment for the Arts.

30. Early PC platform: MS-DOS.  As in MicroSoft-Disk Operating System.

32. "Well played": NICE!

33. Countdown start: TEN.

38. Quick blow: JAB.

41. Many a Middle Easterner: ARAB.

42. Like a post-rain hike: MUDDY.

46. Poetic tribute: ODE.

47. To a greater extent: MORE SO.

50. Garr of "Tootsie": TERI.  Tootsie was a rom-com that came out in 1982!

54. Skybox guest: VIP.

55. Discontinued Apple music devices: iPODS.  I am so sorry to see the discontinuation of the iPod.  I use mine nearly every day.

56. Preambles: LEAD INS.

58. Italian volcano: ETNA.  Here's the live cam on the volcano.  No volcanic action today, but you can see some birds fly by.

62. Faction: SECT.

63. Bowler's asset: AIM.  Hi, Boomer!

64. Anti-frizz hair product: SERUM.

65. Christmas __: TREE.

66. Zodiac sign between Cancer and Virgo: LEO.  Hi, LeoIII!

67. Remove: ERASE.

Down:

1. Knocks back a few: IMBIBES.

2. Strong-armed: COERCED.

3. __ in a blue moon: ONCE.

4. "How cool": NEAT-O.

5. Juice box inserts: STRAWS.

6. Like sour milk: OFF.

7. Baseball Hall of Famer Brock: LOU.  //  Not to be confused with 27-Down. WC: LOO.  Louis Clark Brock (June 18, 1939 ~ Sept. 6, 2020) played for 19 years in the major league.  He is best known for stealing bases.

8. Long wriggly fish: EEL.  Where do EELS come from?

9. Audition hopeful: ACTOR.

10. Gruff footballer played by Brett Goldstein on "Ted Lasso": ROY KENT.  I have not seen Ted Lasso, but it has gotten great reviews.  Brett Goldstein (b. July 17, 1980) is a British comedian and actor.

11. Know in advance: FORESEE.

12. Like a no-frills hotel room: SPARTAN.

17. Fencing sword: EPÉE.  //  Not to be confused with 53-Down. Curved sword: SABER.

19. Like shorts weather: WARM.  Hi again, Lucina!

20. Turn in for cash: REDEEM.

23. Satiric science prize for "research that makes people laugh, then think": IG-NOBEL.  While not as prestigious as the Nobel Prize, the Ig Nobel Prize has been awarded since 1991 to celebrate unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research.  The Ig Nobel Prizes this year will be awarded in September.  Here is a list and explanation of last year's prizes.

24. Night in Paris: NUIT.  Today's French lesson.  Do you know the difference between Nuit and Soir?

25. Virginia __: TECH.  I first tried Virginia Dare, then Virginia Reel, before letting the perps have their way.

31. Disgraces: SHAMES.

35. Tweezing target: BROW.

36. Hard to find: RARE.

37. Boring routine: RUT.

38. Least serious: JOKIEST.  Seems a bit awkward.

39. Travel kit plug: ADAPTER.

40. Most nominated woman in Grammy history: BEYONCÉ.  Beyoncé (née Beyoncé Giselle Knowles; b. Sept. 4, 1981) has been nominated almost 80 times, and has been awarded nearly 30 Grammys.

43. Conniving: DEVIOUS.  Did anyone watch Devious Maids?  It ran on Lifetime for about 4 years.

44. Message on a Wonderland potion: DRINK ME.  Did Alice IMBIBE?

48. List on Facebook Marketplace, say: SELL.

49. Warning words: OR ELSE.

52. Matchmaking site available in Hebrew: JDATE.

57. Cartoon explorer with a talking backpack: DORA.  I knew that Dora was an Explorer, but I didn't know her backpack talked.

59. "Blueberries for __": Caldecott Honor Book by Robert McCloskey: SAL.  Blueberries for Sal was first published in 1948.  It takes place in Maine and is about a little girl named Sal who is out picking blue berries at the same time a bear cub is searching for berries.

60. Diner slice: PIE.

61. Moody genre: EMO.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Keep cool, folks!