Greetings, Cruciverbalists, Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap of a puzzle by veteran puzzle-setter Joe DiPietro. Let's jump right in with the reveal at:
57 Across: "That's a lost opportunity," and what can be said to the writer of four clues in this puzzle: YOU'RE MISSING OUT.
Alternatively, you might say to the writer "That's not what Timothy Leary meant!" At four places in the puzzle Joe has literally dropped OUT from the clue. As solvers, we must mentally append OUT to the remaining letter and thereby create a short, but perfectly acceptable, crossword puzzle clue. Here are the for places where the gimmick is employed and what can we say except, "Far out, man":
17 Across: R. When we add OUT to R we get ROUT. LOPSIDED VICTORY.
24 Across: B. Tack OUT onto B and the result is BOUT. PRIZEFIGHT.
38 Across: P. P plus OUT equals POUT. SULKY EXPRESSION
46 Across: T. A CSO ! Appending OUT to T results in TOUT. CREATE HYPE.
The completed grid appears near the end of this recap. For now, here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. Sanitizer targets: GERMS. Bacteria was too long.
6. "Mad Money" cable network: CNBC. The first of more than a dozen (depending on one's criteria) abbreviated clues and/or answers in today's puzzle. TBH SMH IFYWIM
10. Actress Mazar: DEBI. Per Rotten Tomatoes: A character actress known for feisty and heavily accented New York roles.
14. Lab vessel: FLASK. Not Lab as in Labrador Retriever. Lab as in chemistry lab.
15. Does some horticultural work: HOES. We have several horticultural/bontanical references in today's puzzle. This is one of them.
16. Group with reserves: OPEC.
20. Widespread alert, for short: APB. All Points Bulletin
21. "The Tilled Field" painter Joan: MIRO. A surreal botanical reference. I wonder what MIRO was ingesting.
22. Speed: RACE. Used as a verb. Otherwise, PACE?
23. Leaves in hot water?: TEA. Not leaves as in departs. Another botanical reference.
27. Trifle (with): TOY.
29. __ pen: VAPE. Doctor to patient: Do you smoke?
Patient: Yes.
Doctor: Cigarettes, Vape, cigar, marijuana?
Patient: Brisket and pork shoulder, mostly.
30. Whit: IOTA. A crossword staple although clued many different ways.
35. Reel Big Fish genre: SKA. Punk SKA, actually.
30. Whit: IOTA. A crossword staple although clued many different ways.
32. What coastlines and hairlines may do: RECEDE. This solver would have preferred an slightly different clue.
35. Reel Big Fish genre: SKA. Punk SKA, actually.
Take On Me
41. "Three Little Kittens" treat: PIE. Lose your mittens. Then find them and get rewarded with PIE.
43. Go: EXIT. Used as a verb.
Snagglepuss
44. Like racehorses: SHOD. Hand up for BRED or FAST.
45. Skin pic: TAT. TATtoos are seen frequently in our puzzles.
51. "Go me!": YAY. See also 63 Across
54. Harvest: REAP. Possibly another botanical reference.
55. "__ Flux": 1990s MTV series: AEON.
56. HHS agency: FDA.
61. Spoonful, perhaps: DOSE. The Lovin' DOSE?
Gotta' Love That Autoharp
62. __ learning: ROTE. Memorization, basically.
63. "Go me!": I RULE. See also 51 Across
64. Brief timetable: SKED. Right up there with SESH on the "Common. enough of this type of thing already" scale.
65. Takes to court: SUES.
George Harrison
66. Organizes: SORTS.
Down:
1. Major key for some piano works by Chopin and Schubert: G-FLAT. We knew that this answer had to begin with either A B C D E F or G
2. Travel to an away match?: ELOPE. Cute clue. Match was in wedded pair.
3. Climactic scene in the Eminem film "8 Mile": RAP BATTLE.
4. Bks.-to-be: MSS. A punt that we have seen before. Books-to-be are ManuScriptS
5. Revealing, in a way: SKIMPY. Today's "I will pass on the GIF" moment.
6. French endearment: CHERI.
Pepe LePew
7. Help for the overnight shift, maybe: NODOZ.
8. Writer/activist Harris in the documentary "Hacking Democracy": BEV. The documentary explored the integrity of electronic voting machines.
9. Procedural franchise since 2000: CSI. A TV show reference.
10. Mental decline: DOTAGE.
11. Unit in geochronology: EPOCH. Has geochronology previously appeared in our puzzles? Geochronology is the scientific study of the age and history of Earth's rocks and rock assemblages.
12. Top of the art world?: BERET. Cute clue. Artists are stereo-typically depicted wearing BERETs.
13. Distant: ICY. Not as in far away. A behavioral reference.
18. Hollywood VIP: DIR. DIRector, I suppose. Punt!
19. "Jinkies!": CRIPES. Not previously a part of this solver's vocabulary.
25. Chris who won four straight US Opens in the 1970s: EVERT. A women's tennis reference.
26. Tapered haircuts: FADES. FADES, to this observer, seem to embody the worst elements of two older hairstyles.
18. Hollywood VIP: DIR. DIRector, I suppose. Punt!
19. "Jinkies!": CRIPES. Not previously a part of this solver's vocabulary.
25. Chris who won four straight US Opens in the 1970s: EVERT. A women's tennis reference.
26. Tapered haircuts: FADES. FADES, to this observer, seem to embody the worst elements of two older hairstyles.
28. Wine cask wood: OAK. Another botanical reference.
30. Web access co.: ISP. Internet Service Provider
31. "Certainement!": OUI. Clue en français / Answer en français
32. Tend to an overgrown plant: REPOT. Smoke another doobie?
33. Give off: EXUDE.
34. EMT skill: CPR. A common crossword pairing.
35. Number of squares on a chess board: SIXTY FOUR. Eight by eight.
36. Fish that can transform into a dragon, per Japanese legend: KOI.
33. Give off: EXUDE.
34. EMT skill: CPR. A common crossword pairing.
35. Number of squares on a chess board: SIXTY FOUR. Eight by eight.
36. Fish that can transform into a dragon, per Japanese legend: KOI.
37. Little pest: ANT. Anyone try IMP first?
39. Tuning fork feature: Y SHAPE. I have an A-440 tuning fork lying around somewhere. These days one uses an electronic gadget.
40. Neptune's realm: SEA.
44. Pan-__ scallops: SEARED.
45. Game of love: TENNIS. Cute. In a tennis match love means zero.
Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders
46. Thief: CROOK. Or not. Or not not.
47. Get more mileage out of: REUSE. I tried to change the color of my monk's costume so that I could REUSE it but old habits dye hard.
48. Celerity: HASTE. Anyone first misread this as celebrity? Celery?
49. Some 20 Questions answers: YESES.
50. Luau fare: POI. Often served in our puzzles.
52. Not for minors: ADULT. When my children were little they sometimes said "When I grow up I want to be a dult."
57. NFL stat: YDS. YarDS A football reference.
58. "__ Doubtfire": MRS. You are missed, Robin Williams.
59. Letters of credit?: IOU. Not letters of credit as your bank might issue. I OWE YOU.
60. Syllable in some lawn product names: GRO. Today's final botanical reference.
As promised, here is the completed grid:
And now, in keeping with today's theme . . .
_______________________________________________
“I'm paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I'm not thrilled about.” - - - Richard Lewis 1947 - 2024
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