1. "I would never!":AS IF. Here is the line: Alicia Silverstone inClueless (1995) (16 sec.) Cluelessis a modern version of Jane Austin's 1815 novel,Emma.
10. Fiber in some muffins:BRAN. My Abstract Algebra professor, Dr. Clarke, made thebestbran muffins! We would pack her office during office hours, snacking on her muffins. 14. Ending with hard or soft: -WARE. computer words 15. Misrepresent:BELIE. 17. Self-images:EGOS. This clue made me think of selfies. 22. Catholic prayer beads:ROSARY. 23. Historic space station:MIR. 24. Not together:APART.
5. Official decree:EDICT.
16. Eastern priest:LAMA.
20. Tooth care specialist:DENTIST.
38. Plus:AND. 39. Large body of eau:MER.Eauandmerare French words for water and sea, respectively. 40. Female sib:SIS. "Sibling" is shortened, so is "SISter". I like it when my big bro calls and says, "Hi, SIS!" 41. Dog coat:FUR. 43. Smaller than small:ATOMIC.
34. Cleveland's lake:ERIE.
35. Sundae topper:CHERRY.
There is an Old English Sheepdog under all this FUR.
42. "Curses upon thee!":FIE. FIE is an interjection used to express disgust or disapproval.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
starring Rick Moranis (1:44 min.)
45. Houston MLBer:STRO. CSO to our Houston peeps!
MLB is an abbreviation so Astro is shortened to STRO. 46. Spanish title:SE
50. Computer hard drive headache:CRASH.Friday's CrowdStrike CRASH -- Oof!
52. Mine extraction:ORE. 53. Open, as a banana:UNPEEL. I will call foul on this one. No one says, "Can you please UNPEEL a banana for me?" #wince 56. Weekend trip, e.g.:GETAWAY. Jim Croce withI Got a Name (1973)
63. Newborn's acquisition:NAME.
64. Kitchenware brand:EKCO. Learning moment.Ekco Brandsis the U.S. division of Vasconia Brands (Mexico's housewares leader in manufacturing and distribution). Dancing Queen(1986) Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, and Meryl Streep
67. Sit for a spell:REST. 68. Desert havens:OASES. 69. Part of BPOE:ELKS. TheBenevolent andProtectiveOrder ofELKSwas founded on February 16, 1868. Down: 2. Wise one:SAGE. 3. First heavy metal band to have a video air on MTV:IRON MAIDEN. I included some Metallica last week so I will skip the heavy metal video this week. 4. Wearing red and green, perhaps:FESTIVE. I like this clue...and this outfit! 8. U.S. spy org.:CIA. "United States" is abbreviated, so is the "CentralIntelligenceAgency". 9. Colorful tropical fish:TETRA. 12. Love, in Spanish:AMOR. 13. Quaint negative:NARY. Def.: (adj.) not any; not one. 19. Some eels:MORAYS. Here is a 2:27 min. video entitled,Facts: The Moray Eel. 21. Hot temper:IRE. 24. Actor Vigoda:ABE. (1921-2016) 26. Flips (through):LEAFS. As a verb, LEAF means to turn over pages, especially to browse or skim. 27. "Rubber Duckie" Muppet:ERNIE. 29. Pulsates:THROBS. 31. Bonkers:OFF THE WALL.
66. Emulate some species of jellyfish:GLOW.Jellieshave no bones, brains, teeth, blood, or fins yet they are animals. This 2 min. video shows some bioluminescent species.
1. Picking one's jaw up off the floor:AWED.
7. Not feeling too hot:ILL. That'schillwithout thech. 😜
10. Big explosions:BLASTS.
11. Indian royal:RAJA.
Here is Fish with Barney (Hal Linden, b. 1931) and Nick (Jack Soo, 1917-1979).
BTW, all good XWD names!
Interesting trivia: Jack Soo was born Goro Suzuki. His birthplace is listed as
"at sea; Pacific Ocean".
25. Former name of Iran:PERSIA.
A mini-theme developed in the SE. 32. Tiny South Pacific nation:NAURU. In 2022 its population was 12,668 people. 36. Costa __: San Jos
Click to enlarge.
33. Typo, e.g.:ERROR. I got this one rite.
I took this PIC of a piece of the Berlin Wall
displayed in one ofSan José's central parks.
39. Damaged:MARRED. 44. Just okay:MEH. 51. San Antonio mission:ALAMO. 53. Airport transport, for some:UBER. 54. Microwave, informally:NUKE.
47. Spotted wildcat:OCELOT.OCELOT Fact Sheet
49. Biodegrade:ROT. Both are verbs. We are more accustomed to the adjectivebiodegradable.
55. Photos:PICS.
57. Historical spans:ERAS. 59. Trees with pliable wood:YEWS.One of the World's oldest surviving wooden artefacts is a yew spear head estimated to be around 450,000 years old.Uses of YEW 61. "Shaun the Sheep" sound:BAA.Shaun the Sheepis a stop-motion animated TV show from the U.K. It became available on Netfix in 2020. The show appeals to children and adults. Here is a 2:17 min. clip. Notice that they do not talk. That fact adds an extra layer to this fitting clue.
56. Catan or Codenames:GAME. Thank you for the reminder thatCatanis a game! We see it in puzzles every once in a while but I struggle to remember its name.
62. Ambulance gp.:EMS.EmergencyMedicalServices, more commonly known as EMS, is a system that responds to emergencies in need of highly skilled pre-hospital clinicians.EMS.gov
In conclusion, here is today's grid:
Bonus: I found this one while looking for BEAR memes:
