Tuesday, July 11, 2023

QOD:  The only sense that is common in the long run, is the sense of change ~ and we all instinctively avoid it.  ~  E.B. White (né Elwyn Brooks White; July 11, 1899 ~ Oct. 1, 1985), American writer

Happy 11th of July!  With words like POP, BLOW, BURST, and GO OFF, this puzzle would have been appropriate for the 4th of July.

16-Across. Stop by briefly: POP IN TO SAY HELLO.

23-Across. Make a rude noise: BLOW A RASPBERRY.

41-Across. Be extremely self-satisfied: BURST WITH PRIDE.

56-Across. Digress from the main topic: GO OFF ON A TANGENT.

Across:

1. Cardi B genre: RAP.  [Name # 1.]  //  I liked how 1-Across crossed with 1-Down. Thoroughly engrossed: RAPT.  

Cardi B (née Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus; b. Oct. 11, 1992)

4. Sneaky ploys: RUSES.

9. Fashion-forward: CHIC.

13. Boxing family name: ALI.  We often see Laila Ali (née Laila Amaria Ali; b. Dec. 30, 1977), who is the daughter of Muhammad Ali (né Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016), in the puzzles.  [Name # 2.]

14. Permit: ALLOW.

15. Transaction in a barter economy: TRADE.

19. YA fiction, e.g., familiarly: TEEN LIT.  YA = Young Adult.

20. Chews out: BERATES.

21. First name of actors Holland and Hollander: TOM.  Tom Holland (né Thomas Stanley Holland; b. June 1, 1996) and Tom Hollander (né Thomas Anthony Hollander; b. Aug. 25, 1967) are both English actors.  They are not household names, at least not in my house.  Together, they become Tom Hollandest.  [Name # 3.]

22. Auction unit: LOT.

31. Positive result at the gym: GAIN.

32. Item on a to-do list: TASK.

33. "I figured it out!": AHA!

34. "The Favourite" queen: ANNE.  The movie The Favourite was about Anne, Queen of Great Britain (Feb. 6, 1665 ~ Aug. 1714).  She ruled as Queen from 1702 until her death 9 years later.  She began her rule as Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland.  In May 1707, the Acts of Union united the kingdoms of England and Scotland as a single sovereign state that became known as Great Britain.  [Name # 4.]

35. Belgian surrealist painter James: ENSOR.  James Ensor (né James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor; Apr. 13, 1860 ~ Nov. 19, 1949) is known for expressionism and surrealism.  He is not as well known as some of the other painters of his genre.  A lot of his work is a bit morbid.  [Name # 5.]

37. Freight barge: SCOW.  This has become a crossword staple.

38. Way to go: Abbr.: RTE.  As in Route.

39. Lydic of "The Daily Show": DESI.  Desi Lydic was a correspondent on The Daily Show.  [Name # 6.]

40. Big name in canvas shoes: KEDS.   [Name adjacent.]

46. Precursor to overtime: TIE.

47. Yellowfin tuna: AHI.  Yummers!

48. Shops at Goodwill, perhaps: THRIFTS.

52. Lose control, in a way: SPIN OUT.

58. Much-admired celebrities: IDOLS.  //  And 11-Down. Go nowhere with the engine on: IDLE.  Can an Idol be Idle?

59. Italian herbal liqueur whose name means "bitter": AMARO.

60. Assent from a bride or groom: I DO.

61. Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of __": FATE.

62. Huffs and puffs: PANTS.

63. Sever, with "off": LOP.

Down:

2. After-sun gel ingredient: ALOE.  A crossword staple.

3. Speak (up) or quiet (down): PIPE.

4. Got close to empty: RAN LOW.  

5. Disc-tossing team sport: ULTIMATE.  I have a friend whose husband is big on Ultimate (formerly known as Ultimate Frisbee).  He travels all over the country for competitions.

6. Schedule opening: SLOT.

7. Lip balm brand in spherical containers: EOS.  Short for Evolution of Smooth.

8. Clear the deck?: SWAB.  Cute clue.

9. Be inventive: CREATE.

10. Sentry's shout: HALT.

12. Leaders at the top of most corp. hierarchies: CEOs.  As in Chief Executive Officers.

15. Beat strongly: THROB.

17. Recite in a singsong voice: IN TONE.

18. Cry of pain: YELP.

23. __ knots: intricate Black hairstyle: BANTU.  I was not aware of the name of this hairstyle.

24. Sharply hit baseball: LINER.

25. Magician/skeptic The Amazing __: RANDI.  The Amazing Randi was the alter-ego of Canadian-born     (né Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; Aug. 7, 1929 ~ Oct. 20, 2020).  He was known for challenging paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.  [Name # 7.]

26. Informant, in spy lingo: ASSET.

27. Teensy bit: SKOSH.  The word Skosh is derived from the Japanese word Sukoshi which means “a little”.

28. Played Mario Kart, perhaps: RACED.

29. __ Island Red: RHODE.  The Rhode Island Red is the State bird of Rhode Island.  The eggs of the Rhode Island Red are brown.

30. Swerves at sea: YAWS.

31. Attire: GARB.

36. Tear to shreds: RIP A PART.

37. Enjoying Aspen, perhaps: SKIING.

42. Suppress: STIFLE.

43. Squabbles: TIFFS.

44. "Who are __ judge?": WE TO.

45. Safari herbivores: RHINOS.

48. "Bring on the weekend!" letters: TGIF.  Thank Goodness It's Friday.  Also the name of a restaurant chain.

49. Kotb of "Today": HODA.  Hoda Kotb (née Hoda Catherine Kotb; b. Aug. 9, 1964) appeared in a recent Tuesday puzzle.  [Name # 8.]

50. Part of a hair or a tooth: ROOT.

51. Lose control, in a way: SNAP.

52. "South Park" kid in a blue-and-red hat: STAN.  Did you know his last name is Marsh?  [Name # 9.]

53. Trompe l'__: eye-fooling art: OEIL.  Today's French lesson.  For more examples, check out this site.

54. Ctrl-Z, on a PC: UNDO.

55. Sporty car option: T-TOP.

57. Reddit Q&A: AMA.  Ask Me Anything.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה