QOD: A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste ~ it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. No taste is what I am against. ~ Diana Vreeland (née Diana Dalziel; Sept 29, 1903 ~ Aug. 22, 1989), French-born columnist and fashion editor
Rollin' Down the Highway. The last word of each theme answer is another name for a Street.
18-Across. "Show us how it's done": PAVE THE WAY.
24-Across. "Quit interfering": STAY IN YOUR LANE.
40-Across. "Don't stoop to their level": TAKE THE HIGH ROAD.
52-Across. "Perfect for me": RIGHT UP MY ALLEY.
And the unifier:
62-Across. Informal language, or what 18-, 24-, 40-, and 52-Across are examples of?: STREET TALK.
Here's the grid:
Across:
1. Liquefy: MELT.
5. Lima's country: PERU. Peru is a South American country that bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. It's home to a section of Amazon rainforest. Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan city, is located high in the Peruvian Andes mountains.
9. Pokes (around): NOSES.
14. Fruit with wrinkled skin: UGLI. Ugli fruit is a Jamaican tangelo. It is a natural citrus hybrid created from a cross between a grapefruit (or pomelo), an orange, and a tangerine. It is larger than a grapefruit with a thick peel that fits loosely around the pulpy orange flesh inside. Green patches on the skin do not mean it is unripe. Did you know that it is also the registered trademark for a brand of Jamaican tangelo?
15. Greek Cupid: EROS.
16. Disconnected: APART.
17. Mouse catcher: TRAP.
20. Some office subs: TEMPS.
22. Wedding declaration: I DO.
23. Ascend: RISE.
28. Britches, informally: TROU. The last time I heard this word was back in college when the frat boys would joke about dropping trou.
29. Pod filler: PEA.
30. Part in four-part harmony: ALTO.
33. __ carte menu: À LA. A crossword staple.
35. Car in the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun": T-BIRD.
44. Large deer: MOOSE. I never thought of a moose as a deer, but apparently they ar the largest living species in the deer family, known scientifically as Cervidae.
45. Contraction that's typically followed by "be": IT'D. Followed by another contraction: 46-Across. Fails to be: ISN'T.
47. Corp. VIP: CEO. As in Chief Executive Officer.
50. House of Lords title: EARL.
59. Junior staffer: AIDE.
60. Charcoal grill residue: ASH.
61. City with the Heat and the Hurricanes: MIAMI. A sports reference: Basketball and Football.
66. Out of control: AMOK.
67. "Money __": Netflix crime series: HEIST. In this series, a criminal mastermind (The Professor) developed a plan to pull off the biggest heist in recorded history ~ to print billions of euros in the Royal Mint of Spain. To help him carry out the plan, he recruited eight people with certain abilities and who have nothing to lose. The group of thieves took hostages to aid in their negotiations with the authorities.
68. Actor Morales: ESAI. Esai Morales (né Esai Manuel Morales Jr.; b. Oct. 1, 1962) used to make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles. He will be celebrating his 64th birthday on Thursday.
69. "Great" detective of kid-lit: NATE. Nate the Great is a children's chapter book series featuring a young boy detective and his dog, Sludge. There are 31 books in the series, which was initially created in 1972.
70. Donkeys: ASSES.
71. Credit report category: DEBT.
72. Uno y dos: TRES. Spanish math.
Down:
1. Mixed-breed dogs: MUTTS.
2. Everglades wader: EGRET. Egrets aren't limited to the Florida Everglades. There are many egrets that hang out near my house.
3. Woolly pack animal of 5-Across: LLAMA.
 |
| My encounter with a Llama in Peru. |
4. What a child might stand on to watch a parade: TIPPY-TOES.
5. Get-up-and-go: PEP.
6. Chapter of history: ERA.
7. Finnish game developer that created Angry Birds: ROVIO.
8. Depleted: USED UP.
9. Casual refusal: NAH.
10. "Tosca," for one: OPERA. Tosca is an opera by Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858 ~ Nov. 29, 1924). It is sometimes billed as a political thriller that takes place in Rome during the Napoleonic Wars.
11. Welcomed at the door: SAW IN.
12. Delete: ERASE.
13. Eyelid irritation: STYE.
19. Dashed: TORE.
21. Title for Paul McCartney: SIR. Paul McCartney (b. June 18, 1942) was knighted in 1997. He was the first Beatle to be awarded this honor.
25. "Hurt Somebody" singer-songwriter Kahan: NOAH. I am not familiar with this singer-songwriter.
26. Christmas season: YULE.
27. Lattice strip: LATH.
30. Convenience in many cash-only establishments: ATM. This used to be a crossword staple.
31. Thai neighbor: LAO.
32. Boxing ref's ruling, for short: TKO. As in Technical Knock-Out.
34. Tropical tuna: AHI. Yummers!
36. Sparkling: BRILLIANT.
37. iPhone platform: iOS. As in iPhone Operating System.
38. Tried to get elected: RAN.
39. Pesticide in Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," for short: DDT. Silent Spring was first published in 1962. The book exposed the hazards of indiscriminate pesticide use, particularly DDT, and launched the modern environmental movement. Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907 ~ April 14, 1964) named the book Silent Spring because it envisioned a future spring morning where no birds sang due to the devastation of wildlife from chemical pesticides.
41. __ support: TECH.
42. Thing: ITEM.
43. Aussie greeting: G'DAY.
48. Coup d'__: ÉTAT. Today's French lesson. A coup d'état is a sudden, illegal overthrow of an existing government by a small group, usually backed by the military or internal state forces.
49. Removed from power: OUSTED. Probably ousted due to a coup d'état.
51. Smash (into): RAM.
52. Ceremonial acts: RITES.
53. Elba of "Cats": IDRIS.
54. Grown goslings: GEESE.
55. Lunar cycle part: PHASE.
56. Rapper Kendrick: LAMAR.
 |
| Kendrick Lamar (b. June 17, 1987) |
57. Act with passion: EMOTE.
58. Expression of surprise: YIKES.
59. Girl who befriends a magical star in Disney's "Wish": ASHA.
63. Sci-fi figures: ETS. As in ExtraTerrestrials.
64. Chem class site: LAB.
65. Hobby shop purchase: KIT.
חתולה
