Thursday, July 6, 2023 Ed Sessa
Forever Blowing Bubbles
Today marks the 140th puzzle that Dr. Ed Sessa has constructed for us.
Here's an email that Husker received from him on June 1, 2023 re his current
plans ...
Hi Gary,
Thanks for asking. Penny and I traveled through northern Virginia trying to
find a place, home or apartment that was somehow equidistant and closer to
our kids but it was not to be for various reasons. All things considered we
decided to stay in SW Florida, and will soon close on a home in Fort Myers.
It's about 45 minutes from Sanibel so we can still maintain some friendships
and connections from the past 20+ years and watch the island heal. We were
very lucky that someone (turned out to be an ex-football player and
contractor) bought what was left of our home, with plans to build an
elevated home on the site. I appreciate all the work you and the whole crew
do on the blog site - it must be a labor of love. If you are ever in the
neighborhood let me know!
Regards,
Ed
As for today's construction, I think Dr. Ed must have gotten wind of the
controversy that occasionally arises on the Corner, the one about whether or
not circles are actually ever needed in theme puzzles. Today he rises to
the occasion, and presents a puzzle which not only uses circles, but absolutely requires circles, as they are a part of the theme. Here are the themers, which are all
DOWN clues, listed from WEST to EAST (use your
imagination to circle the RED letters)
...
3D. Snooze:
CATCH
SOME ZS. It's time for my afternoon nap ...
34D. Act as a matchmaker: PLAY CUPID.
14D. Got carried away: WENT OVER BOARD. Goldie meets Kurt and mayhem ensues ...
8D. Whoopi Goldberg comedy with a "Back in the Habit" sequel: SISTER ACT. Co-starring the Dowager Countess of Grantham from Downton Abbey ...
Time to burst the bubble on what the circles reveal (when read from BOTTOM UP of course) ...
25D. Products of a child's wand, and what are literally rising in this puzzle's circles: SOAP BUBBLES.
Here are the SOAPS ...
ZEST
DIAL
DOVE
CARESS
Here's the grid ...
1. Indy 500 leader: PACE CAR. After 1911 the Indianapolis 500 auto PACE CAR led the assembled starting racers around the track for a predetermined number of unscored warm-up laps. Then if the officials deem appropriate, they'd release the field at a purposeful speed to start the race proper. Prior to this date the cars began from a standing start.
|
|
The PACE CAR (a Chevrolet Corvette) leads the field past an accident site at the 2007 Indianapolis 500. |
8. "More or less": SORTA. KINDA.
13. Regional measure: STATE LAW.
15. One-dimensional: LINEAR. À la A______________________________B
16. Make future plans: SET A DATE.
17. Not on the level: ASLANT.
18. Gumshoe: TEC. My favorite TEC ...
20. Trough location: STY.
21. Prefix with scope: HORO. A HOROSCOPE is an astrological chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, astrological aspects and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from the Greek words ōra and scopos meaning "time" and "observer".
 |
| A horoscope calculated for January 1, 2000 at 12:01:00 A.M. EST in New York, NY, US (Long: 074W00'23" – Lat: 40N42'51") Hand up if you're an astrologer -- does this horoscope predict the end of the World? |
23. Actress Catherine who played Donna Noble on "Doctor Who":TATE. Dr. Who has been adventuring through time and space since November 23, 1963, always accompanied by one or more companions. Donna Noble was a companion of the 10th Doctor (David Tenant). In this episode, called Partners in Crime, she has been re-united with the Doctor as they attempt to foil the evil machinations of Adipose Industries, led by the shady Miss Foster (Sarah Lancashire of Happy Valley). Hand up if you know how to lip-read -- perhaps you can help us with some of the silent dialogue in this clip ...
28. Reckless: RASH.
30. Candymaker Russell: STOVER. Russell Stover Chocolates, Inc. is an American manufacturer of candy, chocolate, and confections. Founded by Russell Stover, an American chemist and entrepreneur, and his wife Clara Stover in 1923, it is an independent subsidiary of Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli.
32. Poem of praise: ODE. Hand up if you can name another 3 letter poem type?
33. Tread heavily: CLOMP.
35. Vegan brand owned by Estée Lauder: AVEDA. Funny I'd never heard of this before, but the other day I turned around in the shower and there was a bottle of AVEDA shampoo on the shelf. I use the 2 in 1 Goo on the shower rack.
36. Instant messaging pioneer: AOL.
37. Desert mount: CAMEL.
38. Part of mph: PER.
39. __ pants: CAPRI. They're back!
41. Pacific Coast Highway's route number: ONE.
42. Golden __: AGERS.
44. Squeezable containers: TUBES.
45. "Supernova" singer Phair: LIZ. Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American rock singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in San Francisco, California, but returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly-Sound. The tapes led to a recording contract with the independent record label Matador Records. Here's her Supernova ...
46. "Count on it!": YOU BET.
48. Word with order or hour: RUSH. Or this BAND (with thanks to -T for this inspiring recommendation!) ...
49. Donkey: ASS.
50. Guitarist's gadget: CAPO. What's a capo and why you need it (if you're a guitarist that is)?
51. Uneducated guess: STAB.
53. Director's cry: CUT.
54. Declare: AVER.
56. Pal to text emoji hearts to: BFF. Best Friends Forever.
59. Party app: CANAPE. SORTA synonymous with hor d’oeuvre. Here are some recipes for easy Canapés.
 |
| Canapés |
64. Unlikely Best Picture nominee: B MOVIE. How to see B-MOVIES with Dave Kehr of MOMA (and no Casablanca is not a B Movie) ...
65. Separate: DISCRETE.
66. Scattered, as seed: SOWED.
67. Thoughtful words: LETS SEE.
Down:
1. Furtive summons: PSST.
2. Suit to __: A TEE.
.
3. [Theme clue]
4. Greek vowel: ETA.
5. Wood for some dressers: CEDAR. CEDAR oil is a moth repellent. My father made CEDAR chests for each of his children.
6. Los __, New Mexico: ALAMOS. The film Oppenheimer is set there. It's opening in theaters beginning 7/21/23 and the buzz is that it's pretty scary ...
7. Charge per day, e.g.: RATE.
8. [Theme clue]
9. Rihanna's "__ Girl (In the World)": ONLY. I wonder if this was the ONLY clue for ONLY that Dr. Ed could think of? 😀
Robyn Rihanna Fenty, NH (Order of National Heroes) born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Known as a hitmaker, she is widely considered one of the most prominent singers of the 21st century.
10. Belfast-born actor Stephen: REA. Stephen REA (born 31 October 1946) is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in films such as V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto. Rea was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Neil Jordan's thriller The Crying Game (1992) ,,,
11. Shade at the beach: TAN.
12. Painting, sculpture, etc.: ART.
14. [Theme clue]
15. Stood the test of time: LASTED. Here are some things that have stood the test of time ...
22. "Heavens to Betsy!": OH ME.
24. Ill-disposed: AVERSE.
25. [Theme reveal]
26. Loves loads: ADORES.
27. "Yummy!": DELISH.
28. Dr Pepper alternative: RC COLA.
29. Seven-time Grammy winner Morissette: ALANIS. ALANIS Nadine Morissette (born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with two dance-pop albums. In 1995, she released Jagged Little Pill, an alternative rock-oriented album with elements of post-grunge, which sold more than 33 million copies globally and made her a cultural phenomenon.
Alanis seems to have mellowed a bit since the early days. Here's her song Missing the Miracle from her 2017 album Such Pretty Forks in the Road ...
31. Attend to, as a sprain, e.g.: TAPE UP.
34. [Theme clue]
40. Otherworldly glow: AURA.
43. Doodled beard on some pictures: GOATEE. I resemble that remark!
47. __ fly: TSETSE. TSETSE, are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. The tsetse is an obligate parasite, which lives by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals. Tsetse has been extensively studied, because of their role in transmitting disease. They have a prominent economic impact in sub-Saharan Africa, as the biological vectors of trypanosomes, causing human and animal trypanosomiasis ("sleeping sickness"). Scary looking ...
 |
| Tsetse Fly |
53. Totally give in: CAVE.
55. Concealing garb: VEIL. Something we all wear, and a theme explored in W. Somerset Maugham's 1925 novel The Painted Veil, the basis for this movie starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts ...
57. Big ball: FETE.
58. Unfettered: FREE.
59. "Young Sheldon" network: CBS. Full disclosure: I've never seen TBBT. But, just like The Simpsons, it's a learnable skill if you do crosswords ...
60. Latin primer word: AMO. "I love". Today's Latin lesson. Also short for BBs.
61. Today: NOW.
63. Org. that takes many forms: IRS. Or "Org. that doesn't have many fans".
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
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