QOD: If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner. ~ Tallulah Bankhead (née Tallulah Brockman Bankhead; Jan. 31, 1902 ~ Dec. 12, 1968), American actress
POP Goes the Weasel:
Speaking of Weasels (oh, we weren't?), when we were in Vietnam we sampled some Weasel Coffee. I brought some home and served it to my friends. I told them after it had been consumed how it had been produced. It's actually quite good.
20-Across. Rebate redeemer's requirement, usually: PROOF OF PURCHASE.
39-Across. Motto for a socially responsible corporation: PEOPLE OVER PROFIT.
56-Across. Academic ultimatum: PUBLISH OR PERISH.
And the Unifiers:
70. With 71-Across, Destiny's Child or the Supremes, and an apt description of this puzzle's longest answers: POP.
71. See 70-Across: TRIO.
Together these two answers give us a POP TRIO. Both Destiny's Child and The Supremes are female pop trios. Beyoncé (née Beyoncé Giselle Knowles; b. Sept. 4, 1981) is the best known member of Destiny's Child and Diana Ross (b. Mar. 26, 1944) is the best known member of The Supremes. There is also a TRIO of P-O-P theme answers.
Across:
1. Shapeless mass: BLOB. // And 2-Down. Shapeless mass: LUMP.
5. Syst. with hand gestures: ASL. As in American Sign Language.
8. Zac of "High School Musical": EFRON. His role in High School Musical is probably the role that is most identified with Zachary David Alexander Efron (b. Oct. 18, 1987). [Name # 1.]
13. German automaker: AUDI. Everything you wanted to known about Audi, but didn't know to ask.
14. Ill-mannered sort: BOOR.
16. Like some dips: ONIONY.
17. Metropolitan haze: SMOG.
18. Skin care balm: ALOE. This has become a crossword staple.
19. Argon and oxygen: GASSES.
23. Acct. earnings: INT. As in Interest.
24. "Arrested Development" actor Will: ARNETT. Will Arnett (né William Emerson Arnett; b. May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Gob Bluth on Arrested Development. He was also married to Amy Poehler (b. Sept. 16, 1971) for over a decade. [Name # 2.]
25. Patterned fabric: TOILE. This is not the first time this fabric has appeared in the crossword puzzles.
28. Manolo Blahnik creation: SHOE. Manolo Blahnik (né Manuel Blahnik Rodríguez; b. Nov. 27, 1942) is a Spanish fashion designer best known for his very expensive shoes. He was the subject of 2017 documentary entitled Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards. [Name # 3.]
29. Long story: SAGA. I love a good saga. Ken Follett (né Kenneth Martin Follett; b. June 5, 1949) is known for writing fabulous historical sagas. He wrote three sagas that make up his Century Trilogy: Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and Edge of Eternity. The series follows 5 inter-related families throughout the 1900s, beginning with World War I in the first novel, followed by World War II in the second novel, and concluding with the Cold War and the civil rights movements.
32. Branch: ARM.
33. __ deco: ART. Our old friend Erté (né Romain Petrovich de Tirtoff; Nov. 23, 1892 ~ Apr. 21, 1990), who used to make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles, was an expert in Art Deco.
35. Moving vehicle: VAN. My favorite clue of today's puzzle.
37. Golf course rental: CART.
43. Motown genre: SOUL.
44. Reddit tell-all sesh: AMA. As in Ask Me Anything.
45. Attempt: TRY.
46. "Mean Girls" screenwriter Tina: FEY. Tina Fey (née Elizabeth Stamatina Fey; b. May 18, 1970) was also the star of 30 Rock. [Name # 4.]
47. "Halt!": STOP.
49. Curved foot part: ARCH.
51. Live (in): DWELL.
53. "Lucifer" actress Helfer: TRICIA. I am not familiar with the Canadian-born Tricia Helfer (née Tricia Janine Helfer; b. Apr. 11, 1974), nor am I familiar with television series Lucifer. [Name # 5.]
55. __ Lingus: AER. Aer Lingus is the airline of Ireland.
62. Egypt's continent: AFRICA.
63. Colorado Plateau natives: UTES. The Utes make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
64. Well-behaved: GOOD.
66. "Carol" Oscar nominee Mara: ROONEY. Rooney Mara (née Patricia Rooney Mara; b. Apr. 17, 1985) is probably best known for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. [Name # 6.]
67. Meh-worthy: SO-SO.
68. "Reservation Dogs" streaming service: HULU.
69. Donkeys: ASSES.
Down:
1. __-relief: BAS. I saw a lot of Bas-Relief on the wall of Angkor Wat.
3. Smell: ODOR.
4. Bloc in the fossil fuels lobby, collectively: BIG OIL.
5. To the back, on a boat: ABAFT. We need our friend Spitzboov to explain this answer.
 |
| Spitzboov and his wife, Betty |
6. Song for one: SOLO. He sang solo we couldn't hear him.
7. Shower scrubber: LOOFAH.
8. Passes into law: ENACTS.
9. Seafood snack in a shell: FISH TACO. Yummers!
10. "Undone" voice actress Salazar: ROSA. Rosa Salazar (née Rosa Bianca Salazar; b. July 16, 1985) is our second Canadian actress in today's puzzle. [Name # 7.]
11. Dollar bills: ONES.
12. Org. with opening and closing bells: NYSE. As in the New York Stock Exchange.
15. Admonish: REPROVE.
16. Fantasy brute: OGRE.
21. Former NBA great Shaquille: O'NEAL. Shaquille O'Neal (né Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal) played basketball for Louisiana State University for 3 years before leaving for the NBA. He later returned to LSU and earned his B.A. [Name # 8.]
22. Dig up: UNEARTH.
25. Lights-out music: TAPS.
26. Double Stuf cookies: OREOS. A crossword staple.
27. "See ya": I'M OUT.
28. Tolerate: STOMACH.
30. Social blunder: GAFFE.
31. Disney mermaid: ARIEL. She is actually fictional because mermaids aren't real. [Name # 9.]
34. Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA. The Crying Game is a 1992 film that starred Stephen Rea (b. Oct. 31, 1946). [Name # 10.]
36. "All Things Considered" airer: NPR. As in National Public Radio.
38. "bye 4 now": TTYL. Textspeak for Talk To You Later.
40. Story's framework: PLOT LINE. The Plot Line is very important to 29-Across.
41. Assorted: VARIOUS.
42. Actress Winona: RYDER. Winona Ryder (née Winona Laura Horowitz; b. Oct. 29, 1971) has appeared in numerous films. In 2000, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [Name # 11.]
48. Does some comparison shopping: PRICES.
50. Like some cargo carriers: CAR TOP. Oh, as in something to put on top of your car to carry extra luggage, not a cargo ship.
52. "Native Son" novelist Richard: WRIGHT. Richard Wright (né Richard Nathaniel Wright; Sept. 4, 1908 ~ Nov. 28, 1960) was an African American writer. Much of his literature concerned racial themes. His work was instrumental in helping to change race relations in the United States. Sadly he died young ~ at age 52. [Name # 12.]
54. "My stars!": I SAY!
55. Greek storyteller: AESOP. You can read his fables here. [Name # 13.]
56. Prefix with sail: PARA-. It looks like fun, but I don't think I would really like to try parasailing.
57. Some fuzzy tabloid pics: UFOs. As in Unidentified Flying Objects.
58. Dudes: BROS.
59. Mexican money: PESO. One US Dollar is currently about 18.85 Mexican Pesos.
60. Like unripe grapes: SOUR.
61. Hindu spring festival: HOLI. Everything you wanted to know about Holi, but didn't know to ask. This year, the Holi falls on March 8, 2023.
65. Couple: DUO.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
