Theme: Let's find a game to play. Some common games are hidden in the theme fill, with their letters scrambled. The needed letters are in circled squares. Hope you got them.
17 A. Primatologist who is the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees: JANE GOODALL. Dame Jane Morris Goodall DBE; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. Goodall first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960, where she witnessed human-like behaviours amongst chimpanzees. Interestingly, I have observed chimp-like behavior in humans.
JENGA is the classic block-stacking, stack-crashing game. How will you stack up against the law of gravity? Stack the wooden blocks in a sturdy tower, then take turns pulling out blocks one by one until the whole stack crashes down. Is your hand steady enough to pull out the last block before the tower collapses?
25. Postimpressionist painter whose work influenced cubism: PAUL CEZANNE. Paul Cézanne [1839 –1906] was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation and influenced avant garde artistic movements of the early 20th century. Cézanne is said to have formed the bridge between late 19th-century Impressionism and the early 20th century's new line of artistic enquiry, Cubism.
CLUE is a board game in which players have to find out who's responsible for murdering Mr. Boddy of Tudor Mansion in his own home. Get the scoop on the mansion's rooms, weapons and guests and start detecting! Was it Plum with the wrench in the library? Or Green with the candlestick in the study? Eliminate information throughout the game in this classic whodunit. The player who correctly accuses Who, What, and Where wins! The Harry Potter version is absolutely brutal.
37. Cartoonist who created Snoopy and Woodstock: CHARLES SCHULZ. Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (1922 – 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Peanuts, featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential cartoonists in history, and cited by many cartoonists as a major influence, including Jim Davis, Murray Ball, Bill Watterson, Matt Groening, and Dav Pilkey.
CHESS is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. The recorded history of chess goes back at least to the emergence of a similar game, chaturanga, in seventh-century India. The rules of chess as we know them today emerged in Europe at the end of the 15th century, with standardization and universal acceptance by the end of the 19th century. Today, chess is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide.
51. Radio personality who declared himself "King of All Media": HOWARD STERN. Howard Allan Stern [b. 1954] is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, The Howard Stern Show, which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from 1986 to 2005. He has broadcast on Sirius XM Radio since 2006. I guess it's a characteristic of modern American Society that one can achieve great riches and notoriety by being an obscene and obnoxious blow hard.
And the unifier: 60. Cause of a major paradigm shift, and an apt description of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 51-Across as well as their sets of circled letters: GAME CHANGER. This is an event, idea, or procedure that affects a significant shift in the current manner of doing or thinking about something. In the clue, "changer" indicates that the letters of the games' names have been mixed up. Notably, all of the people whose names have been used are recognized for their exceptional level of achievement. In face, one might think of them as GAME CHANGERS in their own right. Nice meta to the theme.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here ready for some fun and games. Would you like to play along? OK. It's your move. Let's go!
Across:
1. Taj __: MAHAL. An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage. Also, Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr. (b. 1942), better known by his stage name Taj Mahal, is an American blues musician. He plays the guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica, and many other instruments.6. Provide funding for: ENDOW. Give or bequeath an income or property to a person or institution.
11. Nurse: SIP. As a noun sip means "small drink," like a sip of Coke or a sip of soup. The origin of sip isn't clear, though we know it's related to the Old English supan, "take into the mouth a little at a time."
14. Desert plant used to make tequila: AGAVE. Agave is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, The genus is primarily known for its succulent and species that typically form large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves.
15. City near Dayton with a Greek name: XENIA. Xenia is a city in southwestern Ohio and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. It is 15 miles (24 km) east of Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Miami Valley region. The name comes from the Greek word Xenia (ξενία), which means "hospitality". On April 3, 1974, a deviating tornado rated F5 on the Fujita scale cut a path directly through the middle of the city
16. Alter __: EGO. The second, hidden side of one's own self
19. Take off: RUN. Get moving
20. Natural Thanksgiving decor: GOURD. A fleshy, typically large fruit with a hard skin, some varieties of which are edible.
21. Tire pattern: TREAD. The pattern of raised lines on a tire that prevents a vehicle from sliding on the road:
23. Fresh from the garden: RAW. Literally, uncooked.
29. Fiendish: EVIL. Wicked, bad and nasty.
31. Starter served with a spoon: SOUP. A primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot, that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water.
32. Gift basket fruit: PEAR. Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus Pyrus, in the family Rosaceae, bearing the pomaceous fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are valued for their edible fruit and juices, while others are cultivated as trees.
33. Lavish celebrations: FETES. Traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments.
35. Rumor, to a rumor mill: GRIST. Grist is the thing about to be milled; in this sense, it is information about to be spread that someone would rather be kept secret
42. Mover's challenge: PIANO. A large, heavy keyboard musical instrument with a wooden case enclosing a soundboard and metal strings, which are struck by hammers when the keys are depressed.
43. Cheering wildly: AROAR. Abounding with noise or laughter.
45. Pinochle kin: SKAT. Skat historically Scat, is a three-player trick-taking card game of the Ace-Ten family, devised around 1810 in Altenburg in the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. It is the national game of Germany
48. Sullen: DOUR. Relentlessly severe, stern, or gloomy in manner or appearance.
50. Alt-rock band Better Than __: EZRA. They formed in 1988 and refuse to reveal the origin of their name.
55. Have a nosh: EAT. Literal
56. Ticked off: IRATE. Angry.
57. Crimson Tide coach Nick: SABAN. Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. [b. 1951] is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. He was head coach at my alma mater, the University of Toledo from December 1989 through 1990, leading the Rockets to a 9-2 season and co-championship of the Mid-American Conference in 1990.
59. Apiece: PER. Related to the price or some characteristic on a single item.
66. Skosh: TAD. Small amount.
67. Farewell that's bid: ADIEU. Adios, amigo.
68. January, in Jalisco: ENERO. Jalisco is a western Mexican state fringing the Pacific Ocean. The state is known for mariachi music and tequila, both of which reportedly originated here. The capital, Guadalajara, is peppered with colonial plazas and landmarks like the neoclassical Teatro Degollado and regal Guadalajara Cathedral, with its twin gold spires. The neighboring Palacio de Gobierno houses murals by Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco.
69. Walk-__: bit parts: ONS. Denoting or having a small nonspeaking part in a play or film.
70. Submit, as a complaint: LODGE. Present a complaint, appeal, claim, etc formally to the proper authorities.
71. Stopwatch button: RESET. To set, adjust, or fix into an original or neutral condition.:
Down:
1. Capt.'s superior: MAJ. MAJOR outranks Captain.
2. Turkish title: AGA. In Muslim countries, especially under the Ottoman Empire, a military commander or official.
3. Spend time around: HANG WITH. Informally socialize with somebody.
4. Small Chevy rebranded as the Sonic: AVEO. Read about it here.
5. Helpful boost: LEG UP. An act of helping someone or something to improve their position.
6. Book after Genesis: EXODUS. It narrates the story of the Exodus, in which the Israelites leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through the strength of Yahweh, who has chosen them as his people. The Israelites then journey with the prophet Moses to Mount Sinai, where Yahweh gives the 10 commandments and they enter into a covenant with Yahweh, who promises to make them a "holy nation, and a kingdom of priests" on condition of their faithfulness.
7. Connecticut governor Lamont: NED. Edward Miner Lamont Jr. [b. 1954] is an American businessman and politician serving as the 89th governor of Connecticut. He has served in this position since January 9, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenwich selectman from 1987 to 1989.
8. Letters from one's folks?: DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses. The letters DNA are a short cut.
9. Fryolator need: OIL. This is a kitchen appliance used for deep frying foods in oil.
10. Ballroom dance in 3/4 time: WALTZ. A highly popular ballroom dance evolved from the Ländler in the 18th century. Characterized by a step, slide, and step in 3/4 time, the waltz, with its turning, embracing couples, at first shocked polite society.
11. Peaceful: SERENE. Calm, peaceful, and untroubled; tranquil.
12. Gal·pagos lizard: IGUANA. A large, arboreal, tropical American lizard with a spiny crest along the back and greenish coloration, occasionally kept as a pet.
13. Consider carefully: PONDER. Think about something carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.
18. Rita featured on Iggy Azalea's "Black Widow": ORA. Rita Sahatçiu Ora born Rita Sahatçiu on 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studio album, Ora, released in August 2012, debuted at number one in the United Kingdom.
22. Pure bliss: RAPTURE. A feeling of intense pleasure or joy.
23. Slo-mo reviewer: REF. In sports: a referee.
24. With, on le menu: AVEC. French
26. Finishes an online session: LOGS OUT. Go through the procedures to conclude use of a computer, database, or system.
27. Mongrels: CURS. A dog of no definable type or breed.
28. Bigger than big: EPIC. Extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope
30. Eagerly accepted: LEAPT AT.
34. __ Lanka: SRI. Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
36. __ Na Na: SHA. Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop cover group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s.
38. Actress Diane: LADD. Diane Ladd [b. 1935] is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
39. Mireille of "Big Love": ENOS. Mireille Enos [b. 1975] is an American actress. Drawn to acting from a young age, she graduated in performing arts from Brigham Young University, where she was awarded the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship.
40. Cough drops: LOZENGES. Small medicinal tablets, originally in the shape of a rhombus or diamond, taken for sore throats and dissolved in the mouth.
41. Fast fashion clothing chain based in Spain: ZARA. A Spanish multi-national retail clothing chain. It specialises in fast fashion, and sells clothing, accessories, shoes, beauty products and perfumes. The head office is in Arteixo, in A Coruña in Galicia. In 2020 it was launching over twenty new product lines per year.
44. Tattletale: RAT. A person, especially a child, who reveals secrets or informs on others.
45. Mailing label words: SHIP TO. Indicating the recipient.
46. Kimchi cuisine: KOREAN. A traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including gochugaru, spring onions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal, etc.
47. Ribbons and trophies: AWARDS. Achievement prizes
49. Coast Guard operation: RESCUE. Save someone from a dangerous or distressing situation.
52. Majestic: REGAL. Having or showing impressive beauty or dignity.
53. Stadium cheer: RAH. A cheer of encouragement or approval.
54. Pro hoopster: NBA-ER. A player in the National Basketball Association.
58. Green Gables girl: ANNE. Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century.
61. Big commotion: ADO. A state of agitation or fuss, especially about something unimportant.
62. Century beginning: MID. Mid-century is a time approximately in the middle of a century. This meaning defies the surface meaning of the clue. I am not amused.
63. Brain waves mapper, briefly: EEG. An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test that measures electrical activity in the brain using small, metal discs (electrodes) attached to the scalp. Brain cells communicate via electrical impulses and are active all the time, even during asleep. This activity shows up as wavy lines on an EEG recording.
64. Bard's before: ERE.
65. Nonsense: ROT. Spoken or written words that have no meaning or make no sense; word salad.
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