Tuesday, April 30, 2024

QOD:  If all I’m remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I’ve done a bad job with the rest of my life.  ~  Isiah Thomas (né Isiah Lord Thomas, III; b. April 30, 1961), American professional basketball player

Home is Where the Heart Is, Redux.  This is the second Tuesday in a row where home was the theme.  Last week, we were in actual living spaces.  This week the word House is combined with another word to give us a new concept, most of which are not actual human living spaces.

17-Across. "Go," to a driver: GREEN LIGHT.  Green House / Light House

26-Across. Insurance company whose slogan begins "Like a good neighbor": STATE FARM.  State House / Farm House

37-Across. Trip of a lifetime: DREAM VACATION.  Dream House / Vacation House

49-Across. Boost for a hockey team after a penalty: POWER PLAY.  Power House / Play House

And the Unifier:

60-Across. People who share a living space, and what both parts of 17-, 26-, 37-, and 49-Across can be?: HOUSE MATES.  Because Room Mates was too few letters.

Across:

1. Speck released by fluffing cushions: MOTE.

5. Outfit: GETUP.

10. Phishing, e.g.: SCAM.

14. Talk Like a Pirate Day greeting: AHOY.  September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

15. Friend in Oaxaca: AMIGO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

16. Silicon Valley's __ Alto: PALO.

19. NBA and WNBA: ORGs.  Both the National Basketball Association and the Women's National Basketball Association are sports Organizations.  //  And 42-Across. Basketball venues: ARENAS.  Teams in both the above organizations will play in an Arena.

20. Tile floor covering: MAT.

21. Sworn statement: OATH.

22. Go nuts for: ADORE.

24. Classic video game maker: ATARI.

29. Garden shovel: SPADE.

31. Easily reached, in a way: LOW.  I recently had to move some of my dishes to a LOWer shelf to make it easier for me to reach.

32. Scattergories game piece with 20 sides: DIE.

33. Frozen treats in Roma: GELATI.  Today's Italian lesson.  What's the difference between Gelato and Ice Cream?

36. Serum container: VIAL.

41. Hosted, for short: MC'ED.  As in acting as the Master of Ceremonies.  Not to be confused with Einstein's theory of special relativity.

43. Med. condition featured in the novel "Turtles All the Way Down": OCD.  Were you aware that the expression Turtles All the Way Down refers to the concept of infinite regress, or the idea that any explanation always requires a further explanation?  It is also the title of a young-adult novel by John Green about a teenager with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

44. "Bien sûr": OUI.  Today's French lesson.

46. Garden statue with a pointy hat: GNOME.  This clue made me think of this scene from The Full Monty.

53. Disappear, as a puddle: DRY UP.  Because Evaporate was too many letters.

55. Time-saving options for bakers: MIXES.  Because Betty Crocker wouldn't fit into the spaces provided.

56. Post re-re-reshared on social media: MEME.

58. Sign of B'way success: SRO.  Standing Room Only.

59. __ golf: MINI.

63. Blackjack cards: ACES.

64. Fertile spots in a desert: OASES.

66. Furtive "Hey!": PSST.

67. Length of hair: TRESS.

68. Leave a mark: SCAR.

Down:

1. Lava, while underground: MAGMA.  Everything you wanted to know about Magma but never thought to ask.

2. "Darn it!": OH, RATS!

3. Keep a beat, digitally?: TOE TAP.

4. Organ on a dollar bill: EYE.  Does the Eye really have a secret meaning?

5. Charity ball, say: GALA.

6. Sends out: EMITS.

7. Like an inflated blood pressure cuff: TIGHT.

8. "Yuck!": UGH.

9. Shepherd's pie topper: POTATO.  Yummers!  Here's a recipe.

10. Parody: SPOOF.

11. Dashboard feature: CAR RADIO.

12. Native of Africa's largest country: ALGERIAN.  Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in North Africa. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia; to the east by Libya; to the southeast by Niger; to the southwest by Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara; to the west by Morocco; and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea.  Speaking of Africa, do you know which US State is closest to Africa?  *

13. Calendar divs.: MOs.  As in Months.

18. "I'm stumped": NO IDEA.  I wasn't stumped by today's puzzle.

23. __ point: condensation temperature: DEW.

25. Ranted and raved: RAGED.

27. Wonderland visitor: ALICE.  The original name of the book, which was published in 1864 was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  [Name # 1, fictional.]

28. Filmmaker Brooks: MEL.  Mel Brooks (né Melvin James Kaminsky; b. June 28, 1926) was the creative genius behind the television series Get Smart.  He is best known, however, for some really funny movies, including Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Space Balls, and High Anxiety.  [Name # 2]

30. Street in a horror franchise: ELM.  What a nightmare!

34. To no __: unsuccessfully: AVAIL.

35. Sticky stuff: TAR.

36. Ski helmet part: VISOR.

37. Batman publisher: DC COMICS.  Did you know that the DC is short for Detective Comics?  

38. Merlot, Malbec, Montepulciano, etc.: RED WINES.  I am familiar with Merlot, but Not Malbec or Montepulciano.  

39. "The Ice Storm" director Lee: ANG.  Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  [Name # 3.]

40. With 65-Across, two-person vehicle: TANDEM.  //  And 65-Across: See 40-Down: BIKE.

41. Bucket partner: MOP.

44. Smelter input: ORE.  A crossword staple.

45. Conclusion: UP-SHOT.

47. Occult practitioner: MYSTIC.

48. "Aha!": EUREKA.

50. Live: EXIST.

51. Bring on a smile: AMUSE.

52. Some RSVPs: YESES.

54. Tough question: POSER.

57. Clutter: MESS.

59. Geography class display: MAP.

61. Canoeist's need: OAR.

62. Crunched muscles: ABs.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

*  The closest US State to Africa is Maine.  The closest point in Africa to the United States is El Beddouza, Morocco.