QOD: A luxury, once enjoyed, becomes a necessity. ~ C. Northcote Parkinson (né Cyril Northcote Parkinson; July 20, 1909 ~Mar. 9, 1993), British naval historian and author
It's A Man's Man's Man's Man's Man's World.
17-Across. Spa combo: MANI-PEDI. Guy # 1.
24-Across. Technique for closing a seam: LADDER STITCH. Guy # 2. A Ladder Stitch is an invisible seam. It is used to close seams on stuffed items, such as pillows, or stuffed toys, where, after the stuffing is added.
30-Across. Like many consignment store items: GENTLY USED. Guy # 3.
41-Across. North Carolina college town: CHAPEL HILL. Guy # 4.
48-Across. Metaphor for a repetitive person: BROKEN RECORD. Guy # 5.
And the unifier:
60-Across. Hamburger franchise, and what can be found at the starts of 17-, 24-, 30-, 41-, and 48-Across: FIVE GUYS. The first few letters of each of the FIVE theme answers is a synonym for a GUY. I have never eaten at a Five Guys burger joint.
Across:
1. Roadie's cargo: AMPS.
5. Barrel wood: OAK. Why Oak Barrels?
8. A flat equivalent: G SHARP. Good misdirection. I was thinking that the "Flat" was an apartment. Nope, it's a musical reference. Everything you wanted to know about Sharps and Flats but didn't know to ask.
14. Bus route, often: LOOP.
15. Bid the most, say: WIN.
16. Grows tired: STALES.
19. In an overly curious way: NOSILY.
20. Fix up, as hair: STYLE.
21. Gee preceder: EFF. A B C D E F G ...
23. Room under the roof: ATTIC. // 31-Down. Call from the 23-Across, perhaps: UP HERE!
27. Knightley of "Atonement": KEIRA. Keira Christina Knightley (b. Mar. 26, 1985) is a British actress who also starred in the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films. [Name # 1.]
29. Painter's prop: EASEL.
33. Not imaginary: REAL.
36. Fur baby: PET.
37. Happy Valley sch.: PSU. As in Pennsylvania State University. Louisiana State University has a Death Valley, which sounds so much more fierce. The former is a region in Pennsylvania and the latter is the football stadium.
38. Author info: BIO. As in Biography.
39. Schedule opening: SLOT.
45. Hawaii Senator Hirono: MAZIE. Mazie Keiko Hirono (b. Nov. 3, 1947) has served Hawaii in the United States Senate since 2013. [Name # 2.]
47. Farm animals with horns: GOATS.
52. Jobs: ROLES.
53. Pipe bend shape: ELL.
54. Ramen soup broth: DASHI. Not a Tuesday word. Everything you wanted to know about Dashi but didn't know to ask.
58. Suspects: IS ON TO.
62. NCAA group that will add four new members in 2024: BIG TEN. The Big Ten Conference is the oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States.
63. "__ been wondering ... ": I'VE.
64. Verdi opera: AIDA. Aida is a tragic opera by Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813 ~ Jan. 27, 1901). It is set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt and was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House. The opera premiered in Cairo in December 1871. There is a modern rock musical version of Aida that was written by Elton John and Tim Rice that premiered in 1998. [Name adjacent.]
65. Dolorous donkey: EEYORE. A reference to a pal of Winnie the Pooh. [Name # 3, fictional.]
66. Barclays Center baller: NET. The Barclay Center is home to the NBA team the Brooklyn Nets.
67. Seethe, as over a slight: STEW.
Down:
1. Pillar of Islam known as Zakat: ALMS. The Five Pillars of Islam.
2. Castle protection: MOAT.
3. Pay (up): PONY.
4. "Tell us!": SPILL IT!
5. Be a tad short with?: OWE. Cute clue.
6. Assisted: AIDED.
7. Place setting piece: KNIFE.
8. "People Puzzler" airer: GSN. As in the Game Show Network.
9. Weasel cousins: STOATS. Everything you wanted to know about the difference between Weasels and Stoats but didn't know to ask.
10. More hurried: HASTIER.
11. Slightly: A LITTLE BIT.
12. Shrine centerpiece: RELIC. The Right Hand of St. Stephen of Hungary is housed in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Budapest.
13. Course where one might study Jung, familiarly: PSYCH. Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 ~ June 6, 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. Carl Jung vs. Sigmund Freud. [Name # 4.]
18. June birthstone: PEARL.
22. Make available: FREE UP.
25. Tomorrow, for one: DAY.
26. Texting :-(, perhaps: SAD.
27. Ship stabilizer: KEEL.
28. Study of bugs: ENTOMOLOGY.
30. Tech that might repeat "Make a U-turn": GPS. As in Global Positioning System.
32. Org. with a Popular Baby Names page: SSA. I was not aware that the Social Security Administration had a page with popular baby names. The top name in 2023 was Liam for boys and Olivia for girls.
34. Comes down with something: AILS.
35. "ur so funny!": LOL. Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.
40. Become smitten with: TAKEN TO.
41. Bengals, on scoreboards: CIN. Joe Burrow (b. Dec. 10, 1996), who played football for the LSU (Bengal) Tigers now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.
42. Brand of battery-powered lawn equipment: EGO. I was not aware of this brand of lawn mowers, although it bills itself as being rated #1. [Name Adjacent.]
43. "Royals" singer: LORDE. Lorde is from New Zealand. Her full name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (b. Nov. 1996). [Name # 5.]
44. Enjoyed oneself immensely: HAD A GAS.
46. Gadget scraped on a peel: ZESTER.
48. Corrupt kickback: BRIBE.
49. Perez of "Do the Right Thing": ROSIE. Do the Right Thing is a movie that makes frequent appearances in the puzzles. Rosie Perez (née Rosa Marie Perez; b. Sept. 6, 1964) got her start with this film which is a film about race relations in New York City. I saw this film when I was living in France. The theme did not translate well. [Name # 6.]
50. Petite and playful: ELFIN.
51. "Closer" actor Owen: CLIVE. Clive Owen (b. Oct. 3, 1964) is a British actor. Closer was a 2004 romantic comedy that also starred Julia Roberts. [Name # 7.]
55. Wedding dress, perhaps: SUIT.
56. Jekyll's counterpart: HYDE. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a classic Gothic horror story by Robert Louis Stephenson (Nov. 13, 1850 ~ Dec. 3, 1894). Hand up if you have actually ever read the story. [Names # 8 and 9, fictional.]
57. "It didn't escape my notice": I SAW.
59. Small square: ONE. Okay, if you say so.
61. Nov. honoree: VET. Veteran's Day is celebrated on November 11.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
