Tuesday, August 6, 2024

QOD:  There just isn’t any pleasing some people.  The trick is to stop trying.  ~  Robert Mitchum (né Robert Charles Durman Mitchum; Aug. 6, 1917 ~ July 1, 1997), American actor

Spin the Bottle.  The last word or portion from each theme answer can be combined with Bottle to give us a new concept.

19-Across. Romantic involvement without defined parameters: SITUATIONSHIP.  Ship in a Bottle.  The dictionary defines Situationship as "a romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered to be formal or established."

25-Across. Brand in a nursery: DIAPERGENIE.  Genie in a Bottle.

49-Across. Email alternative: TEXTMESSAGE.  Message in a Bottle.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Classic Jim Croce song, or a stretch for the ends of 19-, 25-, and 49-Across?: TIME IN A BOTTLE.

Across:

1. Atlas page: MAP.

4. Detective agency often outsmarted by Carmen Sandiego: ACME.  Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?  Carman is a fictional character in a video/computer game that is designed to teach children geography, math and other skills.  [Name # 1, Fictional]

8. Hit the brakes: STOP.

12. Utter delight: GLEE.  Also the name of a television series that ran from 2009 to 2015.  Sadly, several of the young cast members have died.

14. Lets loose: FREES.

15. Cornmeal cake: PONE. Yummers!

16. "Right Here Waiting" singer Richard: MARX.  Apparently Richard Noel Marx (b. Sept. 16, 1963) is an "adult contemporary" singer-songwriter.  I don't recognize the name, nor do I recognize the song.  [Name # 2.]

17. Godiva rival: LINDT.  Yummers!  The history of Godiva.  The History of Lindt. [Name adjacent.]

18. Cathedral area: APSE.  A crossword staple.

22. Wi-Fi device: ROUTER.

24. Create a cartoon: ANIMATE.

28. __ Talks: lecture series: TED.  Not a person's name, but a public-speaking presentation given at the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) annual event or one of its many satellite events around the world. 

29. Designer Gucci: ALDO.  Aldo Gucci (May 26, 1905 ~ Jan. 19, 1990) was the son of the founder of the Gucci fashion company.  He ran the company for over 30 years, from the early 1950s until the mid-80s.  [Name # 3.]

30. Japanese currency: YEN.

31. The "A" of LGBTQIA+, informally: ACE.  Okay.  LGBTIQA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual and plus. Many other terms (such as non-binary and pansexual) that people use to describe their experiences of their gender, sexuality and physiological sex characteristics.

33. Cry upon stubbing one's toe: YELP.

35. Yoga studio accessory: MAT.

37. Parts of psyches: EGOs.

40. On the __: running: LAM.  The possible origin of the expression On the Lam.

42. Fish and chips fish, often: COD.  Yummers!  I had some of the best Fish and Chips while in Iceland.

44. Get a grip on: GRAB.

46. Tony-winning singer/actress Salonga: LEA.  I am not familiar with Lea Salonga (née Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga; b. Feb. 22, 1971).  She is a Filipino singer and actress and is best known for her theater work.  She has starred in Broadway musicals, including Miss Saigon and Les Miz.  [Name # 4.]

52. Top player: ALL-STAR.

54. Rang out: PEALED.

58. Big celebrity: IDOL.

59. Red wine grape: SYRAH.  Everything you wanted to know about the Syrah grape but didn't know to ask.

60. Figure skating leap: AXEL.

63. Hawaiian goose: NENE.  When I first began working on crosswords, this Hawaiian Goose was a crossword staple.  It would appear at least once a week.

64. Glum drops: TEARS.

65. Title for Emma Thompson: DAME.  Dame Emma Thompson (b. Apr. 15, 1959) is a British actress.  She gained the title "Dame" in 2018.  [Name # 5.]

66. Throws into the mix: ADDS.

67. Sportsbook calculations: ODDS.

68. Cow's sound: MOO.

Down:

1. Film studio founded in 1924: MGM.  MGM stands for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  The company is named after three companies which were combined in 1924: Metro Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Productions, and Louis B. Mayer Productions.

2. In the manner of: À LA.  Today's French lesson.

3. Bring around: PERSUADE.

4. Vegas casino with a musical name: ARIA.  I was just in Vegas last week attending a conference.  We weren't staying at this hotel/casino, though.  I did see the Aria casino and hotel.

5. Penny: CENT.

6. Middle of the road: MEDIAN.  It's known as the Neutral Ground in New Orleans.

7. Tallinn's country: ESTONIA.  I visited Tallinn several years ago.  It is a beautiful city.

8. Muscle twitch: SPASM.

9. Part of a Willy Wonka costume: TOP HAT.

10. Not remote: ON-SITE.

11. Sounded like a baby bird: PEEPED.

13. Election Day survey of voters: EXIT POLL.

14. Commotion: FLURRY.

20. Short-sleeved shirt: TEE.

21. Sabrina, to Hilda and Zelda: NIECE.  Okay.  These names are totally unknown to me, although it was easy enough to suss out the word Niece.  Sabrina (née Sabrina Spellman) is a character from the comic Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.  She apparently lives with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda.  Not only was Sabrina the Teenage Witch a comic strip, but was also a television series.  [Names # 6, 7 and 8, fictional.]

22. Nutrition fig.: RDA.  As in the Recommended Daily Allowance.  According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the RDA is the average daily dietary intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of most healthy individuals in a particular gender and life stage group.

23. Like some garage floors: OILY.

26. Shining example: GEM.

27. Put into law: ENACT.

32. Sandwich filling with hard-boiled ingredients: EGG SALAD.  Yummers!

34. "Godmother of Soul" LaBelle: PATTI.  Patti LaBelle (née Patricia Louise Holte; b. May 24, 1944) began her singing career in the 1960s as the frontwoman for the band Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells. [Name # 9.]

36. Shiv's partner on "Succession": TOM.  Succession was an HBO television series that centered on Logan Roy, an aging media mogul and his family.  Tom Wambsgans was the son-in-law who was married to Logan's daughter, Siobhan "Shiv" Roy.  [Names # 10 and 11, Fictional]

38. Challenge for a doctoral student: ORAL EXAM.

39. Wise: SAGE.

41. Has every intention of: MEANS TO.

43. Unexplored ocean regions: DEPTHS.

45. Place with pillows: BED.

46. "Gran Cocina __": Maricel E. Presilla cookbook: LATINA.  If I cooked, I would probably like the recipes from this book.  Maricel Presilla specializes in the foods of Latin America and Spain.  She was he first Latin American woman to have been invited as a guest chef at the White House.  She also holds a Ph.D. in medieval Spanish history.  [Name # 12.]

47. Left out, as a syllable: ELIDED.

48. Energy bar nut: ALMOND.

50. Saw right through, in a way: X-RAYED.

51. Game, __, match: SET.

53. 1990s tennis great Monica: SELES.  Monica Seles (b. Dec. 2, 1973) was the youngest champion of the French Open when she won at age 16 in 1990.  [Name # 13.]

56. Small fastener: BRAD.  It could be a name, but not in this case.

57. Rower's pair: OARS.

61. Taking Back Sunday genre: EMO.  Apparently Taking Back Sunday is a rock band that was formed in the late 1990s.

62. Zodiac sign for one with an August 6 birthday: LEO.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

July 30, 2024

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