QOD: Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Tuesday, 18 October 2022

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

QOD: Don’t let the same dog bite you twice. ~ Chuck Berry (né Charles Edward Anderson Berry; Oct. 18, 1926 ~Mar. 18, 2017), African-American guitarist and songwriter

I'd Like To Buy a Vowel. Sorry, but you can only get a U. The only vowel in each of the theme answers is a U.

17-Across. * Busy stretch at a sandwich shop: LUNCH RUSH.

25-Across. * Crumple, as notepaper filled with bad ideas: SCRUNCH UP.

36-Across. * Fare that pairs well with beer: PUB GRUB. Rhyming answer.

38-Across. * Ticket marketplace with a FanProtect Guarantee: STUB HUB. Rhyming answer.

52-Across. * Source of bribe money, perhaps: SLUSH FUND.

And the unifier:

62-Across. "I'm handing this off now," and a phonetic description of the answers to the starred clues: IT'S ALL YOU. (U). At first I thought the answer might be rhyming, but that fit only 2 of the answers.

Across:

1. "Barbaric" cry in Whitman's "Song of Myself": YAWP. Not a good start for a Tuesday puzzle.

5. Departed: LEFT.

9. Stockpile: AMASS.

14. Actress Falco: EDIE. Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) portrayed Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos. We binged on this show during the first weeks of the Covid shut-down. Edie Falco made a guest appearance in the puzzle just last Sunday. [Name # 1.]

15. Thin batteries: AAAs. Tiny rods.

16. "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" host Peter: SAGAL. Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me is a weekly radio game show where contestants are quizzed about the week's news. Peter Sagal (né Peter Daniel Sagal; b. Jan. 31, 1965) is a humorist who hosts the show. [Name # 2.]

19. Dish: PLATE.

20. Snuck a look: PEEKED.

21. Clock readout: TIME.

23. Shoe front: TOE.

24. Verbalize: SAY.

27. Lets off steam: VENTS.

29. Lightbulb unit: WATT.

30. "Fiddlesticks!": RATS.

31. Brief "If you ask me": IMO. Textspeak for In My Opinion. This had become a crossword staple.

32. Letter-shaped support: I-BAR.

34. Provençal pal: AMI. Today's French lesson.

42. Farmyard oinker: PIG.

43. Worrisome grades: DEEs.

44. Actress de Armas: ANA. Ana de Armas (née Ana Celia de Armas Caso; b. Apr. 30, 1988) is a Cuban actress. She portrayed the nurse in the movie Knives Out. She appeared in a previous crossword that I commented on. [Name # 3.]

45. __ facto: IPSO. Today's Latin lesson. This is a phrase a term-of-art in law which translates as "by the fact itself."

48. "__ sesame!": OPEN. Open Sesame is the magical phrase that opens the cave in the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

50. Otherwise: IF NOT.

54. Scoundrel: CAD.

55. Used to be: WAS. I have a friend who refers to her ex-husband as her Wasband.

56. Natural hairstyle: AFRO.

57. Infomercial disclaimer: PAID AD.

60. College application part: ESSAY.

64. Revise: AMEND.

65. __ as a pin: NEAT.

66. Watch over, as sheep: TEND.

67. Odorless gas: RADON. Everything you wanted to know about Radon but didn't know to ask.

68. Tacks on: ADDS.

69. Poems of praise: ODES. How about a Limerick to a sheep instead?

Down:

1. [You stepped on my paw!]: YELP.

2. For two voices, in music: A DUE. Today's Italian lesson. This term appears occasionally in the puzzles.

3. Connoisseur who likely scoffs at boxed Merlot: WINE SNOB. I may not be drinking Bordeaux, but I like my Cardbordeaux.

4. Eat like a bird: PECK AT.

5. Baker's fat: LARD.

6. __ de toilette: EAU.

7. Tracy Chapman hit with the line "Won't have to drive too far": FAST CAR. Fast Car is one of Tracy Chapman's (b. Mar. 30, 1964) best known songs. [Name # 4.]

8. Summer top: T SHIRT.

9. Colorado ski resort: ASPEN.

10. Prefix with practice: MAL-. As in Malpractice.

11. "Death on the Nile" novelist Christie: AGATHA. In addition to writing crime novels, Dame Agatha Christie (née Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller; Sept. 15, 1890 ~ Jan. 12, 1976) is known for her own mysterious disappearance. [Name # 5.]