Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee, here, back from the Rocky Mountains with a recap of a puzzle by Zhou Zhang. Hmm, both of our names are alliterative. That and five dollars will get you a cup of coffee.
Let's jump right in with the unifier:
66 Across: Fueled up before a big race, or a description of the answers to the starred clues?: CARBO LOADED.
Each of the following four theme answers references a form of carbohydrates:
19 Across: *Earnings for a restaurant with a tandoor?: NAAN PROFITS. FROM NON PROFITS. With this erudite crowd there's no need to explain what NAAN is.
25 Across: *Bun that's a really big hit?: STARRING ROLL. From STARRING ROLE
43 Across: *One who eats the same brand of corn flakes every morning?: CEREAL MONOGAMIST. From SERIAL MONOGAMIST
55 Across: *Ciabatta Chihuahua or pumpernickel Pomeranian?: PURE BREAD DOG. From PUREBRED DOG.
This is how the completed grid looks:
... and here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:1. __ second: LEAP. Hand up for first thinking something along the lines of NANO second.
5. Percussion troupe since 1991: STOMP.
10. Prickly plants: CACTI.
15. Cream alternative: ECRU. Not a reference to a dairy product. Not a reference to a super group band. Not slang for trouncing. A reference to a color.
16. Eaglet's home: AERIE.
17. Astronaut Ochoa: ELLEN. All You Might Want To Know
18. Tons: A LOT.
21. Handles: NAMES. Handle, in this case, being slang for, well, NAME.
23. Bill: NOTE. As in "C-note" or banknote
24. Each: A POP. Slang for apiece.
29. Japanese artist and peace activist: ONO. A frequent visitor.
30. Fuss: TODO.
31. Crocheter's stash: YARN.
33. Yearning: ITCH.
36. Large mammals in matrilineal groups: ORCAS. "Large mammals" would have sufficed.
40. Paint option: MATTE. Gloss. Semi-gloss. Flat.
46. Ages: YEARS. It makes more sense in French. Par exemple: Quel age avez vous? J'ai soixante-quinze ans.
47. Panache: STYLE.
48. Wasabi __: PEAS. Tasty
49. Heroic deed: FEAT. Finding Bigfoot would be no small FEAT.
51. Upfront stake: ANTE. As in a poker game.
53. Beloved rock, e.g.: PET. Remember the fad from the 1970's ?
62. Actor Idris: ELBA. Another frequent visitor.
64. __ bean: LIMA. Might have been clued as ____ , Ohio . . . or _____ Peru.
65. ID on a map: IDAHO. Not a reference to identification. A state's abbreviation.
70. Kiwi-shaped: OVAL. Technically, OVOID.
71. Gobbled down: ATE UP. Nice word play with down and up.
72. Backsplash installer: TILER. The five florists I called earlier today knew absolutely nothing about laying carpet or tile. And yet I’m the idiot....
73. Kite flyer's need: WIND. If there's no WIND you must WIND up your kite string.
74. Grown efts: NEWTS. Frequent amphibian visitors, both.
75. With a wink: SLYLY.
76. Confidentiality docs: NDAS. Non Disclosure AgreementS have become a crossword staple.
Down:
1. Tends (toward): LEANS.
2. Pizzazz: ECLAT.
3. Feature of a rose garden in full bloom: AROMA.
4. "Shake on it": PUT 'ER THERE.
5. __ Diego: SAN. It could have been DON Diego (de la Vega).
6. Leaves that might be red or read: TEA. Nice word play with red and read.
7. Chimp kin: ORANG. Chimpanzee / ORANGutan
8. Like a key that may evoke sadness: MINOR.
9. __-Bismol: PEPTO.
7. Chimp kin: ORANG. Chimpanzee / ORANGutan
8. Like a key that may evoke sadness: MINOR.
9. __-Bismol: PEPTO.
10. GM's Mary Barra, for one: CEO.
11. Italian auto, familiarly: ALFA. ALFA Romeo.
12. Neckwear suitable for a young child: CLIP ON TIE.
13. Western Wyoming county: TETON. How The Grand Tetons Got Their Name
14. Insta browsing goal, perhaps: INSPO. INSPIRATION. Meh . . . or maybe I am just of the wrong generation.
20. Depend (on): RELY.
22. Sign of a packed house: SRO. Standing Room Only
26. Adored celebrity: IDOL.
27. Benchmarks: NORMS. If Al Yankovic wasn't weird he'd be called NORM Al.
28. Tibetan monk: LAMA.
32. Decreased: RAMPED DOWN. Much more frequently used as RAMPED UP
33. Distant: ICY. ICY what they tried to do here.
34. Wardrobe staple: TEE.
35. Concoction that might be pint-sized: CRAFT BREW. Literally, pint sized.
37. Tent bed: COT. If you sin 90 times, you'll only get caught 50% of the time because sin 90 = cot 45.
38. Vague amount: ANY.
39. Like a system that's revolutionary?: SOLAR. A bit of a stretch but not completely off base.
41. PreCheck org.: TSA.
39. Like a system that's revolutionary?: SOLAR. A bit of a stretch but not completely off base.
41. PreCheck org.: TSA.
42. GRE org.: ETS.
44. "Stat!": ASAP. As Soon As Possible
45. Inheritance factor: GENE.
50. Rock's Jethro __: TULL. Fronted by Ian Anderson
52. __ chi: TAI.
53. Louisiana's state nut: PECAN. Think pralines.
54. Overjoy: ELATE. We are often ELATEd in our puzzles.
56. Hilarious folks: RIOTS. An idiom that is often seen in our puzzles.
57. Username, often: EMAIL.
58. More than anything: BADLY.
59. Naturalist Attenborough: DAVID. Sir DAVID Frederick Attenborough is a British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and writer.
60. Family, in Hawaiian: OHANA. A straightforward definition. Lilo and Stitch have popularized the word.
61. Gym chain that began in Venice Beach: GOLDS.
63. Be next to: ABUT. What does the seat of your pants ABUT?
67. Special __: OPS.
68. Fish that swims by generating waves: EEL.
69. Not sweet: DRY. A wine reference.
. . . and always be sure to use an appropriate glass.
. . . Not a bad idea. Cheers, everyone!
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