QOD: There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise. ~ Gore Vidal (né Eugene Louis Gore Vidal; Oct. 3, 1925 ~ July 31, 2012), American writer
Swingers: The word Swing can be placed before the first word of each theme answer to give an entirely new concept.
OR
17-Across. * Capital letter creator: SHIFT KEY. Swing Shift. The Swing Shift is a work shift that occurs between the day and night shifts, typically from about 4:00 pm to Midnight. It is called the Swing Shift because is is between day and night. It was also the name of a 1984 rom-com movie that starred Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.
25-Across. * Group that plays in foursomes: BRIDGE CLUB. Swing Bridge
36-Across. * Say something that doesn't need to be said: STATE THE OBVIOUS. Swing State We'll probably be hearing a lot about Swing State in the coming year. A Swing State is defined as a US State where the two major political parties have similar levels of support among voters, thus it is viewed as critical in determining the overall result of a presidential election.
44-Across. * Classic Motown hit about a wedding ring: BAND OF GOLD. Swing Band. Instead of the Motown hit, I'll give you some swing from Brian Setzer.
And now for the unifier:
55-Across. Playground fixture, or an apt description of the beginnings of the starred clues: SWING SET.
Across:
1. Humble home: HUT.
4. Guest speaker's platform: DAIS. I thought I knew what a Dais was, but apparently I was confusing it with a Podium. Did you know the difference?
8. One of Santa's reindeer: DASHER. After getting the "D" and "ER" in place, I had several choices: Dasher, Dancer or Donner, as per the song Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. But did you know that in the original 1823 poem we now know as "Twas the Night Before Christmas", the reindeer names were: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Dunder and Blixem. The final two names were changed in 1949. [Name # 1, fictional.]
14. Sense of self: EGO.
15. Labor agcy.: OSHA. As in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
16. Protect in glass, say: ENCASE.
19. Legendary Kentucky basketball coach Rupp: ADOLPH. Since very few people are named Adolph these days, his name alone indicates that he did not coach recently. Adolph Fredrick Rupp (Sept. 2, 1901 ~ Dec. 10, 1977) played basketball for the University of Kansas in the early 1920s. After coaching high school basketball for a few years, he moved to the University of Kentucky, where he coached the game for over 40 years. [Name # 2, real person.]
20. __ Angeles Guitar Quartet: LOS. Everything you wanted to know about the LAQG but didn't know to ask. [Name adjacent.]
21. "Now I get it!": AHA!
23. Ma's ma: NANA. The most popular names for Grandmother by State.
24. Bygone Russian space station: MIR. This Russian space station orbited the earth from 1986 until 2001.
28. Danced to "La cumparsita," say: TANGOED. The musical piece was written in early 1916 by an 18-year old architecture student Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez (Mar. 18, 1897 ~ Apr. 25, 1948). The title of the piece means Little parade. Although the piece is not a Tuesday-level clue, Tango was the first thing that popped into my brain.
30. Chip's partner: DALE. Chip and Dale are chipmunk cartoon characters. They are named in reference to the 18th century furniture maker, Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779). [Name # 3, fictional.]
31. Bullion bars: INGOTS. This word has been in the news recently.
32. Raison d'__: ÊTRE. Today's French lesson.
33. Singer Sumac: YMA. We haven't see Ms. Sumac in quite a while. She used to appear with some frequency. Her full name was Zoila Emperatriz Chávarri Castillo (Sept. 13, 1922 ~ Nov. 1, 2008). No wonder she went by Yma. Her stage name means How Beautiful in Quechua language, which is spoken by the indigenous people of Peru. [Name # 4, real person.]
39. Head cover: HAT.
40. Peek: LOOK.
41. Duration: LENGTH.
42. Bravo preceder: ALFA. A reference to the NATO phonetic alphabet.
43. Able to feel: SENSATE.
48. Covert __: OPS.
49. "This seems bad!": UH, OH!
50. NBA legend Ming: YAO. At 7-feet, 5-inches, Yao Ming (b. 12, 1980) had to become a basketball player. After playing basketball for the Shanghai Sharks for several years, he was drafted by the Houston Rockets, where he played for nearly a decade. His wife, Ye Li, is over 6 feet tall, and played professional basketball in China women's national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. [Name #5, real person.]
51. "It's __-win situation": A NO.
52. Walks leisurely: MOSEYS.
59. Christie sleuth Hercule: POIROT. Agatha Christie (née Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller; Sept. 15, 1890 ~ Jan. 12, 1976) created the fictional Belgian detective Hercule Poirot 1920, when he appeared in her first published novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. He was so popular that he appeared in 33 of Christie's novels and many more short stories. [Name # 6, real person and Name # 7, fictional.]
60. Panache: ELAN.
61. Corn serving: EAR.
62. Burnout cause: STRESS.
63. "Auld Lang __": SYNE. Should auld acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind? Why is this song sung on New Year's Eve?
64. Oinker's pen: STY.
Down:
1. Steers and rams: HEs. Male cattle and sheep.
2. Cry of disgust: UGH!
3. Working hard on: TOILING AT.
4. Morse Code components: DOTS. and Dashes.
5. All one has to do, sometimes: ASK.
6. "Rumor has it ... ": I HEARD ...
7. Be friendly, in a way: SAY, "HI."
8. Narc's org.: DEA. DEA = Drug Enforcement Administration.
9. Plus: AND.
10. Wall-mounted light: SCONCE.
11. Prepared in accordance with Muslim law: HALAL.
12. College sports channel: ESPNU.
13. Post-injury regimen: REHAB.
18. Had a memory lapse: FORGOT.
22. Supplement: ADD TO.
24. __ ray: tropical swimmer: MANTA.
25. Most well-to-do: BEST OFF. Richest also fits into the spaces provided.
26. Difficult to understand: GARBLED.
27. Vegas natural: ELEVEN. Everything you wanted to know about the Game of Craps.
28. Mrs. Addams, to Gomez: TISH. The Addams Family is a fictional cartoon family that was created by Charles Samuel Addams (Jan. 7, 1912 ~ Sept. 29, 1988). He was known for his darkly humorous and macabre characters, signing the cartoons as Chas Addams. The Addams Family was a television show that ran for only 2 years in the mid-1960s. It was also adapted into a 1991 movie. [Name # 8, fictional.]
29. Verdi opera with Desdemona and Iago: OTELLO. Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813 ~ Jan. 27, 1910) was an Italian composer best known for writing operas. Otello is one of his best known operas. You can read a summary of the Opera here. [Name # 9, real, Names # 10 and 11, fictional.]
32. "A mouse!": EEK!
33. Asanas: YOGA POSES.
34. Mixed breeds: MUTTS.
35. Tennis legend Arthur: ASHE. Arthur Ashe (né Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr.; July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles. [Name # 12, real person.]
37. Composer Carmichael: HOAGY. Did you know that in addition to being a composer and musician, Hoagy Carmichael (né Hoagland Howard Carmichael; Nov. 22, 1899 ~ Dec. 27, 1981) briefly practiced law. [Name # 13, real person.]
38. Joyous way to break out: IN SONG.
42. Cling (to): ADHERE.
43. __ but surely: SLOWLY.
44. Speed deterrents: BUMPS.
45. Give __: care: A HOOT.
46. Polite denial: NO, SIR.
47. Fertile desert spots: OASES.
51. "The Accidental Tourist" novelist Tyler: ANNE. Anne Tyler (b. Oct. 25, 1941) is a prolific writer. She has published 24 novels and is best known for The Accidental Tourist and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, both of which were adapted into movie versions. [Name # 14, real person.]
53. Some "Rocky" dialogue: YOs. [Name # 15, fictional.]
54. GPS lines: STS. As in Streets.
56. Actor McKellen: IAN. That's Sir Ian McKellen (né Ian Murray McKellen; b. May 25, 1939), to you. He performs on the state and in movies. [Name # 15, real person.]
57. "Mangia!": EAT. Today's Italian lesson.
58. Give it a go: TRY.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
