17 A. Bullied: BROW BEATEN. Intimidated, coerced, pressured, terrorized, usually into doing something. The card rank and hand description explanations will follow. Vide infra.
23 A. Breakfast fare: FLAPJACK. Here in the U.S. this is another term for the pancake, and that is the intended sense of the clue. In the U. K. this terms refers to a tray-baked bar made of rolled oats, butter and brown sugar - which sounds like a pretty good granola bar.
47 A. Commoners: POPULACE. A collective noun for the inhabitants of a region or country. A "commoner" is an ordinary person, without rank or title. It's a bit of a stretch to see equivalence here.
And the unifier: 54. What's hidden at the ends of 17-, 23-, 29-, 43- and 47-Across--if all are in, say, 38-Across: ROYAL FLUSH. In poker, hands are ranked in reverse order of the probability of their occurrence. Thus, the least probable holding in any round of play will be the winner. A STRAIGHT is any hand containing five cards in order, say 3-4-5-6-7, frex. A higher ranking hand is a FLUSH, in which all of the cards are in the same suit. Next, in ascending order are the full house - three of a kind plus a pair; and four of a kind. Ranking above all of them is the STRAIGHT FLUSH - five cards, not only in order, but also all in the same suit. Within a suit, cards are ranked by their numbers, with face cards above, and the the ACE highest of all [usually.] So, a STRAIGHT FLUSH consisting of TEN, JACK, QUEEN, KING, and ACE of any suit, aka a ROYAL FLUSH, is the highest ranking example of the least likely, and therefore most powerful holding.
Plus, we get a nice, centrally-located theme extra -- 38 A. See 54-Across: CLUBS. These are cards in one of the four suits in which a ROYAL FLUSH might occur; the others being diamonds, hearts and spades.
In each of the major theme clues, the hidden card name has a completely different meaning than it does in the context of the unifier - another nice touch. So - a really well constructed puzzle.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here wishing you all a happy Kwanza, Boxing Day and/or feast of St. Steven. Let's see what other gifts this puzzle offers.
1. Campus VIP: DEAN. the head of faculty in a department
5. __ East, Chicago-based pizza chain: GINOS. Started in 1966 by two taxi drivers.
10. Remove politely, as one's hat: DOFF. Late Middle English contraction of "do off." Contrast "don," as, frex, gay apparel.
14. Entreat: URGE. Attempt to convince someone without resorting to actual BROWBEATING.
15. "__ Mio": O SOLE. A Neapolitan song written in 1989 by Giovanni Capurro, Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi, and usually sing in the original Neapolitan language. The title translates as "My Sunshine."
16. Malevolence: EVIL.
19. Word processor command: SAVE.
20. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. [b 1942] He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.
21. Used TurboTax, perhaps: E-FILED. Submitted your tax return electronically.
27. Actor Mineo: SAL. Salvatore Mineo, Jr. [1939-1976] was an American singer and actor nominated for Acadamy Awards for best supporting actor in Rebel without a Cause and Exodus.
28. Take to a new planter: REROOT. Plant in a new pot? To reroot means to generate a new, identical plant from a stem cutting. Not the same thing at all.
33. Farewell that is bid: ADIEU. Buh-bye.
34. Pumps and platforms: SHOES. Different shoe styles.
36. Sorbonne article: UNE. I suppose it means "The."
37. Black-plumed pond swimmer: COOT. Coots are small water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica, the name being the Latin for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water. They are close relatives of the moorhen. [Wikipedia]
39. "__ glad to!": I'D BE. Expressing eager willingness to do something - without being BROW BEATEN.
40. Hung. neighbor: AUS. Hungary and Austria, two Eastern European Countries.
41. Gives the heave-ho: BOOTS. Kicks out of something
42. Rebuke: SCOLD. Harsh verbal criticism - could also involve BROW BEATING.
45. Solid alcohol: STEROL. A complex organic alcohol, C17H22O, found in plants and animals. It is the eponym for a class of chemical compounds with related molecular structures. Cholesterol is one example.
46. Circle segment: ARC.
49. Like Dagwood's wife: BLONDE.
52. Ottawa-based flying gp.: RCAF. Royal Canadian Air Force.
53. Material flaws: RIPS. Tears and/or holes.
60. "Fantastic Beasts" actor Miller: EZRA. [b 1992] Portraying Credence Barebone.
61. Twitter troublemaker: TROLL. One who invades comment sections for the purpose of disrupting conversations and causing general mayhem. Also found on FaceBook and Blogs.
62. "Off the Court" autobiographer Arthur: ASHE. Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. [1943-1993] was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam titles.
63. __ and means: WAYS. The methods and resources at someone's disposal for achieving something. Also the name of the chief tax writing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
64. Gumbo pods: OKRAS. The edible seed pods of a flowering plant of the mallow family.
65. Cameo stone: ONYX. A variety of the silicate mineral chalcedony having parallel bands of various colors.
Down:
1. Name: DUB. Provide an unofficial or nickname to someone or something. Traces back via late Old English, meaning to make someone a knight, to Old French adober - to provide with armor.
2. Throw wildly, say: ERR. In baseball, any mishandling of a batted ball by a fielder is considered to be an error.
3. Fourth word in the "Star Wars" intro: AGO. "A long time . . . "
4. Part of four state names: NEW. - Hampshire, -Mexico, -Jersey, and -York.
5. Attacks: GOES AT. A physical or verbal attack. May involve BROW BEATING or actual BEATING about the head and shoulders.
6. Fashion designer Mizrahi: ISAAC. [b 1961] An American fashion designer, TV presenter, and eponym for a line of clothing since 1987.
7. Unacceptable: NOT OK. Incorrect, inappropriate, inadmissible, or simply not good enough.
8. World Cup cry: OLE. Among Spanish-speaking fans.
9. Grows old: SENESCES. Not just that, but deteriorates with age. As old as I am [and to be honest, that's pretty old] I don't believe I have ever encountered this word before, and had to rely completely on perps.
10. Arnaz-Ball production company: DESILU. Founded by the husband and wife team of Desi and Lucy, best known for the TV shows I Love Lucy, Star Trek and The Untouchables.
11. Racecourse shape: OVAL.
12. Dave Brubeck classic "Take __": FIVE. In the unusual time signature of 5/4, it was originally released on the 1959 album TIME OUT, which featured other songs in odd or mixed meters, and is the only song on the album written by Paul Desmond. Two years later, it became a hit, and is the biggest-selling jazz single ever. According to Desmond, "It was never supposed to be a hit. It was supposed to be a Joe Morello drum solo." Yes, I have played this song -- improvised using the 4th mode of the harmonic minor scale. Might not have been your choice. It worked OK.
Pretty aggressive tempo in this live performance
13. Took off: FLED. Or FLEW. Needed perp help.
18. Exquisite trinket: BIJOU. Something small and elegant, French - from Breton bizou, finger ring, from biz, finger.
22. Web help pgs.: FAQS. Frequently Asked QuestionS.
23. Skirmish: FRACAS. A noisy disturbance, brawl or quarrel, from Italian fracassare, to make an uproar.
24. Escorted to the exit: LED OUT. Or SAW OUT, needed even more perps. Does LED OUT suggest the exit might not be voluntary?
25. Melodic passage: ARIOSO. A solo instrumental or vocal piece occurring in an opera or oratorio.
From Cantata No, 156 by J.S. Bach
26. Auden, Blake or Coleridge: POET. Versifiers.
29. Tough crowds: MOBS. An large, unruly, disorganized crowd, that might be prone to causing trouble, mayhem or violence.
30. "Why I Live at the P.O." author Welty: EUDORA. Eudora Alice Welty [1909 - 2001] was an American short story writer and novelist who wrote about the American South. Her novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Order of the South. [Wikipedia]
31. As a whole: EN BLOC. Doing something all together, or separately, but at the same time. More French.
32. Acupuncture tool: NEEDLE. Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body. It is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine. The theories and practices of TCM are not based upon scientific knowledge, and acupuncture is a pseudoscience. [Wikipedia]
34. Tough going: SLOG. Like a trek, but worse.
35. Crude shelter: HUT. A small, roughly constructed structure serving as poor-quality lodging. Alternatively, a place to get pizza.
38. Any one of Bach's Brandenburgs: CONCERTO. The Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in 1721. [Wikipedia] It is unlikely that the Margrave would have had the complement of musicians necessary to perform these works, so they sat unused for a long period.
There's no such thing as too much Bach
41. Owl or osprey: BIRD. Raptors, to be more specific.
42. Odds and ends: STUFF. This and that. Things.
44. "Dust in the Wind" band: KANSAS.
Bach did NOT write this in 1977
45. Stone chips: SPALLS. We also use that word for chips and flakes off of glass or ceramics. Anyway, potato chips might be less crunchy, but they taste better.
47. Richard who played "The Wiz" in 1978: PRYOR. [1940-2005] American stand-up comedian, actor, and social critic.
48. City west of Daytona Beach: OCALA. 'Cuz "De Leon Springs" doesn't fit.
49. Make, as beer: BREW. Via a process of soaking, boiling and fermentation.
50. Oscar winner Minnelli: LIZA. [b 1946] Judy Garland's daughter. The oscar is for her performance in the 1972 movie Cabaret.
51. Nashville venue: OPRY. The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM.
55. Mork's planet: ORK. Mork was exiled to Earth from ORK, where humor is not permitted.
57. Org. with admirals: USN. United States Navy.
58. Far from forward: SHY. Reserved, timid or nervous in the company of other people.
59. Jinx: HEX. A jinx is a curse or spell cast on someone to cause bad luck. A Hex is more general, and not necessarily negative, but potentially much more severe.
I had some nits wit the cluing, but overall, a fine puzzle and a fun, rather challenging solve. Hope you didn't think it was NOT OK.
Cool regards!
JzB
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This is a fun blog. Light-hearted banter is welcome. Snark is not. If you want to fight, find my other blog.
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Cheers!
JzB