QOD: I know a lot about a few thing ~ mostly useless things. ~ Mo Rocca (né Maurice Alberto Rocca; b. Jan. 28, 1969, American comedian and television journalist
The Art of Being Graceful. In today's puzzle, an ODE gracefully slides down and across the grid.
20-Across. Wide receiver who was the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: ODELL BECKHAM, JR. Odell Cornelious Beckham, Jr (b. Nov. 5, 1992) was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and played football at Louisiana State University. His plays were Poetry in Motion.
33-Across. Literary movement for Vonnegut and Pynchon: POST-MODERNISM. Postmodernism is a movement that challenged modernism in the arts, culture, and philosophy. Postmodernism is known for its skepticism, irony, and critiques of objective reality and universal truths. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Nov. 11, 1922 ~ Apr. 11, 2007) was known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. The only Vonnegut novel I read was Slaughter House-Five. Thomas Pynchon, Jr. (b. May 8, 1937) is known for his dense and complex novels. I have never read any of his works.
40-Across. Pushes one's game to the next level: GOES BEAST MODE.
53-Across. Epitome of grace, and an apt title for this puzzle: POETRY IN MOTION. See how the Ode (Poem) gracefully moves (Motion) down and across the grid.
See how the ODE gracefully moves down the Grid.
Across:
1. Long, long time: AGES.
5. Important ingredient in Toll House cookies: CHIPS. Yummers! The history of the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie. My mother had a chocolate chip cookie that was ever so much better than the Toll House version.
10. Touch: ABUT.
14. U2 lead singer: BONO. Bono (né Paul David Hewson; b. May 10, 1960) is also a founding member of the band. He took his name, Bono, from an Irish hearing aid company.
15. "__ and Juliet": ROMEO. What if Shakespeare wrote a different ending to Romeo and Juliet? That's the premise of & Juliet. We just saw the show and it was so much fun and very high energy.
16. Friction fighter: LUBE.
17. Indian flatbread: ROTI. Not the expected Naan! What's the difference?
18. No longer together: APART.
19. Neighborhood: AREA.
23. Show on television: AIR.
24. Photo __: OPS.
25. Punk subgenre: EMO.
26. Loved by: DEAR TO.
28. Protagonist: HERO.
30. __ Moines, Iowa: DES. A brief history of Des Moines.
36. Bombard (with): PELT.
38. MSNBC host Melber: ARI. Ari Naftali Melber (b. Mar. 31, 1980) is an attorney and a journalist. He hosts The Beat with Ari Melber.
39. Roadie's gear: AMPS. A crossword staple.
45. Actress de Armas: ANA. Ana de Armas (née Ana Celia de Armas Caso; b. Apr. 30, 1988) is a Cuban and Spanish actress. I first saw her in the 2019 film, Knives Out.
46. "General Hospital" actress Rylan: EMME. Apparently, Emme Rylan (née Marcy Faith Behrens; b. Nov. 4, 1980) has appeared in a number of soap operas, including General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.
47. Long-armed shaggy apes, familiarly: ORANGS. As in an Orangutan.
50. Hon: BAE. This is becoming a crossword staple. It appeared in last Wednesday's puzzle.
51. E-file org.: IRS. As in the Internal Revenue Service.
52. Sign of a hot ticket on Broadway: SRO. Standing Room Only.
58. Slangy coffee: JAVA.
59. Irritated: GOT TO.
60. Oblong tomato: ROMA. The Roma tomato is a plum tomato that is commonly used for tomato paste because of its slender and firm nature. They grow well in the United States, Mexico, Australia, and Great Britain.
61. Receiving customers: OPEN.
62. Burstyn of "The First Lady": ELLEN. Ellen Burstyn (née Edna Rae Gillooly; b. Dec. 7, 1932) has been in numerous films during her long career. She earned an Oscar for her portrayal of Alice Hyatt in the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More.
63. Condo, e.g.: UNIT.
64. Places to find fuzzy navels: BARS. Nice misdirection. A Fuzzy Navel is a mixed drink made with peach schnapps and orange juice.
65. American Girls, e.g.: DOLLS. American Girls is a line of dolls, many of which are based on historical characters or figures.
66. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA. Today's Spanish lesson.
Down:
1. Overseas: ABROAD.
2. Unexpected treat: GOODIE.
3. Respond to court charges: ENTER A PLEA.
4. Bed component?: SOIL.
5. Underwater trap: CRAB POT.
6. Aspirations: HOPES.
7. Apple desktop: iMAC.
8. Free lunch on Fridays, e.g.: PERK. Why Friday?
9. "Told ya!": SO THERE!
10. Budget competitor: ALAMO. Both are car rental companies.
11. __ Khalifa: world's tallest building: BURJ. The Burj Khalifa stands at 2,717 feet. The Burj Khalifa is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building is named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Sept. 7, 1948 ~ May 13, 2022), the second president of the UAE. The tallest building that I have ever been in is the third largest building, the Shanghai Tower, which stands at a mere 2,073 feet.
12. Big name in food delivery: UBER.
13. Spills the __: gossips: TEA. // And 50-Down. Spills the __: blabs: BEANS. While both idioms have similar meanings, “spill the tea” typically refers to gossip, while “spill the beans” typically refers to an unintentional disclosure of private or secret information.
21. Quite a few: LOTS.
22. Cupid's domain: AMOR.
27. Becomes compost: ROTS.
28. Seabiscuit, for one: HORSE. Seabiscuit (1993 ~ 1947) was a famous American Thoroughbred. He was born in 1933 and raced from 1935–1940.
29. Work periodically?: EDIT. Cute clue.
30. Part of a design spec: DIMENSIONS.
31. Seer's gift: ESP.
32. Texting format: SMS. As in Short Message Service.
34. Polite term of address: MA'AM.
35. Zippo: NADA.
36. Links org.: PGA. As in the Professional Golfers' Association.
37. Long, long time: EON.
41. Edged out: BEAT.
42. Came out of hiding: EMERGED.
43. Church members who are encouraged to do missionary work: MORMONS.
44. Roughly: OR SO.
48. Wallace's claymation pal: GROMIT. Wallace & Gromit is a British claymation comedy franchise. The stories all come have a hidden meaning: they tell the story of a class struggle. Wallace, the human, represents the privileged upper class, while Gromit, his faithful dog, represents the lower class that supports his master.
49. Hyundai sedan: SONATA.
51. Dirt dug up by moles: INTEL. Good misdirection! As intelligence gathered by a spy.
53. Grandad's nickname: PAPA. This is just one of many of nicknames for Grandfather.
54. Finished: OVER.
55. "I'll never have this chance again, so why not!" letters: YOLO. You Only Live Once.
56. "__ all work out": IT'LL.
57. Immodest response to "You're the best!": TRUE.
58. Occupation: JOB.
חתולה
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| Uluru, also known as Ayres Rock. |
