Tuesday, July 25, 2023

QOD:  Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some.  ~  Eric Hoffer (July 15, 1902 ~ May 21, 1983), American moral and social philosopher

I've Got My I's on You!  In today's puzzle, each theme word is a two-word phrase where the first word ends in the letter "i" and the next word begins with the letter "i", giving the phrase "i" [eye] contact.

16-Across. Denomination of most of the world's Muslims: SUNNI ISLAM.

25-Across. Spiced cold drink made with sweetened condensed milk: THAI ICED TEA.  How to make Thai Tea: Thai Tea is a strongly black tea that is spiced with star anise, cloves, crushed tamarind, cardamom, or a combination of any of those spices.  It is sweetened with sweetened condensed milk.

37-Across. Pro on the slopes: SKI INSTRUCTOR.

49-Across. Coastal resort town southeast of Naples: AMALFI ITALY.

And the unifier:

60. Nonverbal communication concern, and a phonetic hint to a feature of 16-, 25-, 37-, and 49-Across: EYE CONTACT.

Across:

1. Spelman or Morehouse, for short: HBCU.  HBCU = Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  Historically Black Colleges and Universities are those institutions of higher education that were established before Civil Rights Act of 1964 that were designed to serve African-American students.

5. Fluffy scarves: BOAS.

9. "Surely, you __!": JEST.

13. List-ending abbr.: ET AL.  Today's Latin lesson and crossword staple.  Et al. is an abbreviation of the Latin term et alia, which translates as and others.  Note that in the term, Et is a word in and of itself, thus there is no period after this word, only Al, which is the abbreviated word.

14. Texter's "What's up?": HOW R U.

15. Black-and-white cookie: OREO.  A crossword staple.

These are the REAL Black and White cookies.

18. Genesis twin: ESAU.  Jacob and Esau make frequent appearances in the puzzles.  They were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca.  [Name # 1.]

19. Zesty flavor: TANG.  Also the drink of astronauts.

20. Saloon: BAR.  //  And 58-Across. Brewpub options: ALES.

22. "GMA" TV network: ABC.  GMA = Good Morning America.

23. Teacup pig, e.g.: PET.  Everything you wanted to know about a Teacup Pig but didn't know to ask.

29. "Dracula" novelist Stoker: BRAM.  Bram Stoker (né Abraham Stoker; Nov. 8, 1847 ~ Apr. 20, 1912) was an Irish writer who never even set foot in Transylvania, the home of Dracula.  [Name # 2.]

Dracula's Castle in Romania.

31. Doc intended to protect confidentiality: NDA.  NDA = Non-Disclosure Agreement.

32. Eggs purchase: DOZEN.  Eggs were rather expensive earlier this year.

33. Spicy pizza topping: JALAPENO.  Not my first choice as a topping.

36. Clumsy oaf: LUG.

41. __-mo replay: SLO.

42. Host, as guests: HAVE OVER.

44. Divided Asian peninsula: KOREA.

47. Nape tickler: TAG.  Cute clue.  Lots of shirts now print their label on the cloth instead of attaching a tag.

48. Sharp cry: YELP.

53. __ de plume: NOM.  Today's French lesson.  Also known as a pen name.

54. TiVo button: REC.  TiVo is (was?) a video recorder with a Record button.

55. Normal: Abbr.: STD.  As in Standard.

56. "Silly me!": OOPS!

65. U. of Maryland athlete: TERP.

Looks mean.

66. Disney warrior played by Liu Yifei: MULAN.  The movie Mulan is about a young girl who disguises herself as a man who takes the place of her elderly and ailing father who had been conscripted into the army.  Liu Yifei (née An Feng; b. Aug. 25, 1987) portrayed Mulan in the 2020 film version.   [Name # 3.]

67. Some: A FEW.

68. Online artisan marketplace: ETSY.  Etsy is an e-commerce company that specializes in handmade or vintage items.

69. Dalmatian mark: SPOT.

70. Actress Ward: SELA.  Sela Ward (née Sela Ann Ward; b. July 11, 1956) is probably best known for her role as Theodora "Teddy" Reed on the television drama Sisters.  The show ran in the 1990s.  [Name # 4.]

Sela Ward is in the lower right corner.

Down:

1. "__ So Shy": HE'S.  And now for a musical interlude.

2. AC meas.: BTU.  BTU = British Thermal Unit.  From the US Energy Information Administration webpage: "A British Thermal Unit is a measure of the heat content of fuels or energy sources. One Btu is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of liquid water by 1° Fahrenheit (F) at the temperature that water has its greatest density (approximately 39° F)."  Perfectly clear, right?

3. "No time to chat!": CAN'T TALK.

4. Forearm bone: ULNA.

5. Fenway team: Abbr.: BOS.  As in the Boston Red Sox.  Years ago, I lived just a few blocks from Fenway.  That was back in the day when bleacher seats were only $3.

6. Duo, the Duolingo mascot, for one: OWL.  I wasn't familiar with Duolingo, but the perps helped finding the Owl.  Apparently, Doulingo is an app designed to help you learn another language.  Cute little owl.

7. Saudi __: ARABIA.  Another country on a peninsula.

8. Poison shrub: SUMAC.  Everything you wanted to know about the poison sumac bush but didn't know to ask.

9. Actor Pesci: JOE.  Although Joe Pesci (né Joseph Frank Pesci; b. Feb. 9, 1943) has been in many films, he is often cited in the puzzles for his role as Vinny Gambini in My Cousin Vinny.  [Name # 5.]

10. Not genuine: ERSATZ.  Derived from old German meaning replacement.

11. "We build, we fight" military member: SEABEE.

12. Big-billed bird: TOUCAN.  Toucan Sam is the mascot for Froot Loops.

14. Low's opposite: HIGH.

17. Loan payment pt.: INT.  As in Interest.

21. Decrease: REDUCE.

23. Kid-friendly sandwich, informally: PBJ.  As in A Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.  Yummers!  I still like a PB&J sandwich every now and then.

24. History chapters: ERAs.

26. Actresses Sothern and Jillian: ANNS.  Only one of the Ann's was always an Ann.  Ann Sothern (née Harriette Arlene Lake; Jan. 22, 1909 ~ Mar. 15, 2001) starred in numerous films in the 1930s.  Ann Jillian (née Ann Jura Nausea; b. Jan. 29, 1950) was a television star in the 1980s.  [Names # 6 and 7.]

Ann Sothern

Ann Jillian

27. "Very relatable": I DO THAT.

28. Nylabone, e.g.: DOG TOY.  I don't have dogs, so am not familiar with the manufacturer of these toys.  But are they safe for dogs?

30. "The Marvelous Mrs. __": MAISEL.  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a comedy-drama television series set in the 1950s.  It got rave reviews.  [Name # 8]

34. Rice dishes: PILAFs.  Yummers!

35. Experimental musician Brian: ENO.  Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) makes so many guest appearances in the puzzles that he must have a permanent home here.   [Name # 9.]  //  Not to be confused with 61-Down. Jeff Lynne's band, informally: ELO.  Jeffrey Lynn (b. Dec. 30, 1947) is also an English musician who co-founded the band Electric Light Orchestra, affectionally known as ELO.  [Name # 10]

Brian Eno, then and now.

36. Hon: LUV.

38. Music featuring sitars: RAGA.

39. Like Pyrex: OVEN SAFE.  Everything you wanted to know about Pyrex but didn't know to ask.

40. Work-related move, for short: RE-LO.  As in Re-Locate.

43. LP's 33 1/3: RPM.  RPM = Revolutions Per Minute.

44. Discipline taught by a sensei: KARATE.

45. Filled and folded brunch order: OMELET.  Yummers!

46. Indy 500 entrants: RACERS.

47. Prepare for company, in a way: TIDY UP.

50. Things: ITEMS.

51. Minnesota's state bird: LOON.  Hi, C.C.!  Other Minnesota State Symbols.  Louisiana and Minnesota share the same state beverage.

52. Hither and __: YON.

57. School support orgs.: PTAs.  PTA = Parent Teacher Association.

59. Undercover agent: SPY.

62. Feline: CAT.

63. Cartoon frame: CEL.  A crossword staple.

64. Defunct airline: TWA.  My first plane trip was on a TransWorld Airline flight.  The company was founded in July 1930 and ceased to exist in December 2001.  You can visit the TWA Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה