Tuesday, October 17, 2023

QOD:  Don’t trust a brilliant idea unless it survives the hangover.  ~  Jimmy Breslin (né James Earle Breslin; Oct. 17, 1928 ~Mar. 19, 2017), American journalist and author

Things with Legs.

17-Across. Baton-passing race with co-ed teams: MIXED RELAY.

26-Across. German white wine with a high sugar content: SWEET RIESLING.  With respect to wine, "legs" refers to the droplets of wine that appear on the inside of the glass after the glass is swirled.  The sweeter the wine, the stronger the "legs."

43-Across. Start of something great: PROMISING IDEA.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Surprised shout when a spot on the wall starts moving, and what can be said about 17-, 26-, and 43-Across: IT'S GOT LEGS.

This will be a minimal commentary today.  It has been a difficult week.   We have lost many friends and I have spent much of the week on numerous Zoom calls.

Across:

1. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA.

5. "Blam!": KAPOW!

10. Wander: ROVE.

14. AFB no-show: AWOL.  AWOL = Absent WithOut Leave.

15. Sports venue: ARENA.

16. Profoundly bad: EVIL.

19. Time in office: TERM.

20. United: ONE.

21. Desire: WANT.

22. Second longest African river: CONGO.  The Congo River is also the deepest river in the world.

23. Go along with: AGREE TO.

25. Tennis star Osaka: NAOMI.  Naomi Osaka (b. Oct. 16, 1997) celebrated her 26th birthday just yesterday.  She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, with two Australian Open and two US Open titles.  She is of Japanese and Haitian descent.  [Name # 1.]

30. Jimmy Kimmel's network: ABC.  Jimmy Kimmel (né James Christian Kimmel; b. Nov. 13, 1967) got his start on Win Ben Stein's Money.  [Name # 2.]

31. Yardstick unit: INCH.

32. Bruno, to Mirabel, in "Encanto": TIO.  Today's Spanish lesson. [Names # 3 and 4, fictional.]

33. Now and __: THEN.

36. Vision-correcting surgery: LASIK.

38. Not very much: A TAD.

39. Slump: SAG.

40. Iron-rich leafy vegetable: KALE.  Not a Yummers for us.

41. Disc golf number: PAR.

47. Helps a thief, maybe: ABETS.

48. Annual fact book: ALMANAC.  Probably the most famous is Poor Richard's, which was first published by Benjamin Franklin (1706 ~ 1790) in 1732.  Franklin added an additional "K" at the end of the word.

51. Bedroom noise: SNORE.

52. Wrinkly citrus fruit: UGLI.

53. Miracle-__: fertilizer brand: GRO.

54. Wide-eyed: AGOG.

58. Source of inspiration: MUSE.

59. Connective tissue: SINEW.

60. Inky stain: BLOT.

Hence the need for a nerdy pocket protector.

61. Full collections: SETS.

62. Coin flip call: HEADS.

63. __-serif: SANS.

Down:

1. Pago Pago's land: SAMOA.

2. In debt: OWING.

3. Stocky dogs: BOXERS.

4. Brewery order: ALE.

5. Lesson one might get a kick out of?: KARATE CLASS.

6. "We __ amused": ARE NOT.  Did Queen Victoria really say this?  Was Queen Elizabeth amused?

7. Attack with snowballs, say: PELT.

8. "I'm __ roll!": ON A.

9. Route: WAY.

10. Overhaul: RETOOL.

11. Kitchen glove: OVEN MITT.

12. Shenandoah Valley state: VIRGINIA.

13. Muppet who refers to himself in the third person: ELMO.  Last week Jinx informed us that how the toy company ensures that all Tickle Me Elmo dolls are male.  [Name # 5, fictional.]

18. Socially inept sort: DWEEB.

22. Yard sale payment: CASH.

24. Actor McGregor: EWAN.  Scottish actor Ewan Gordon McGregor (b. Mar. 31, 1971) has starred in a number of films.  He portrayed the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel.  [Name # 6.]

25. Aids for airplane napping: NECK PILLOWS.  A necessity for long international flights.

27. Like proofed dough: RISEN.

28. Suffix on pasta names: -INI.  Everything you wanted to know about pasta suffixes but didn't know to ask.

29. Supreme being: GOD.

33. Vanilla extract amt.: TSP.  As in a TeaSpoon.  The Teaspoon first appeared in London in 1686 as a measure for making the perfect cup of tea.

34. Rant: HARANGUE.

35. Confidence builder: EGO BOOST.

37. "Beef" actress Wong: ALI.  Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; b. Apr. 19, 1982) is probably best known for being a racy stand-up comedian.   [Name # 7.]

38. Painter's calculation: AREA.

40. Toy for a windy day: KITE.

42. Confess: ADMIT.

44. Joins the flow of traffic: MERGES.

45. Had trouble swallowing: GAGGED.

46. Bassett who plays Marvel's Queen Ramonda: ANGELA.  Angela Bassett (née Angela Evelyn Bassett; b. Aug. 16, 1958) portrayed Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; Nov. 26, 1939 ~ May 24, 2023) in the 1993 film What Love Got To Do With It.   Earlier this year, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential women in the world.  37-Down is also on that list.  [Name # 8.]

Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda

49. Noble gas used in welding: ARGON.  Why Argon is used in welding.

50. Is priced at: COSTS.

51. __ Club: bulk-buying chain: SAM'S.  Sam's Club is named after Sam Walton (né Samuel Moore Walton; b. Mar. 29, 1918 ~ Apr. 5, 1992), also the founder of Walmart.  [Name # 9.]

52. Annapolis military sch.: USNA.  As in the United States Naval Academy.

55. "More or less" suffix: -ISH.

56. Knotted neckwear: TIE.

57. Scale units: Abbr.: LBS.  How did Pounds become to be abbreviated as Lbs?

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

 

I will leave today with a song of hope.