Theme: How Did We Get Here? [We went for a ride.]. This is a hidden word theme, where a common mode of transportation spans between words in a 2 or 3 word theme fill.
7 A. *Barbie-inspired doll on "The Simpsons": MALIBU STACY. This is the most popular doll in Springfield. You can read about it here. She arrived in this puzzle by BUS.
31 A. *"OK, gotta go!": WELL I'M OUT. Announcing one's departure - in this case via a LIMO. Maybe Stacy will go along for the ride.
36 A. *Free baseball, so to speak: EXTRA INNINGS. There's no extra charge when the game is tied after nine innings, and the spectators get to stay and watch the rest of the excitement. If it's a home game in Chicago, you can leave afterward on a TRAIN.
46 A. *Limb for Jaime Sommers or Steve Austin: BIONIC ARM. Fictional characters from the two TV series The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. Each of them was seriously injured in separate accidents, and had body parts replaced with artificial components, giving them super-human abilities. A CAR is a common means of transportation, even for us ordinary people.
62 A. Service offered by 18-Down, and what's happening in the answers to the starred clues: RIDE SHARING. A company that, via websites and mobile apps, matches passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire that, unlike taxicabs, cannot legally be hailed from the street. Here, the theme fill surround the various vehicles that share their letters with the finished answer,
Hi Gang. JazzBumpa here to direct today's traffic. In this puzzle we have to find different way to get from point A to point B. Let's see if we can do it without any accidents or unnecessary delays. Start your engines!
Across
6. Unskilled in: BAD AT.
11. "Have we __?": MET. Suspicious kind of greeting.
14. Thread holder: SPOOL. A cylindrical device which has a rim or ridge at each end and an axial hole for a pin or spindle and on which material (such as thread, wire, or tape) is wound.
15. Upscale Honda brand: ACURA.
16. Passed-down tales: LORE. A body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth.
19. Surface measure: AREA. As defined.
20. __ fever: CABIN. Irritability, listlessness, and similar symptoms resulting from long confinement or isolation indoors during the winter.
21. Many a Henry James heroine: HEIRESS. A woman who is legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death. James is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans. He also wrote ghost stories.
23. Spice in pumpkin spice, often: MACE. Mace is a yellowish-brown spice that is derived from the dried lacy coating of the nutmeg seed.
26. Field for a 23-Down: ECON. Economics - the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth.
28. "Purgatorio" poet: DANTE. Dante Alighieri (c. 1265 – 1321) was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His Divine Comedy is widely considered one of the most important poems of the Middle Ages and the greatest literary work in the Italian language.
29. Justin from Canada: BIEBER. Justin Drew Bieber [b.1994] is a Canadian singer. He is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and global influence in modern-day popular music. His personal life has been --- complicated.
34. Supplement: ADD ON. Include something as an additional element.
35. Pundit piece: OP-ED. Denoting or printed on the page opposite the editorial page in a newspaper, devoted to commentary, feature articles, etc.
42. "If it __ broke ... ": AIN'T. Multi-purpose contraction of am not, is not, are not, has not, or have not. Meanwhile, if something is reasonably successful or effective, there is no need to change or replace it.
43. Hall's Hall of Fame partner: OATES. Daryl Hall and John Oates are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two write most of the songs they perform, separately or in collaboration. They have a pile of gold and platinum albums. I was never a fan.
51. Gospel writer enshrined in a Venice basilica: ST. MARK. The ascribed writer of the oldest of the four canonic New Testament gospels. Modern scholarship suggests that the gospels were written anonymously, and that supposed authors names were added in the 2nd century.
52. Metallica's "__ It Sleeps": UNTIL. This is the lead single from their 6th studio album "LOAD," from 1996, and they're only single to reach the top 10 in America.
You are not obligated to watch this
53. Startled cry: YIPE. On of many possibilities.
55. Actress Turley of "Mad Men": MYRA. Myra Turley [b. 1947] is an American film and television actress, best known as Dale in the 1995 sitcom Muscle, and as Madeline Evelley in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers.
56. Drops by: STOPS IN. Makes an unannounced visit.
59. One more than tri-: TETRA. Prefixes indication three and four.
61. Basketball target: HOOP. An 18 inch diameter circle through which the players attempt to shoot a 9.4 inch diameter ball.
67. Cagey: WILY. Skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully.
68. Motionless: INERT. Lacking the ability to move.
69. Bit part: CAMEO. A small role (as in a movie) usually performed by a well-known actor
70. Consumed: ATE. Ingested.
71. Last word: SAY SO. The power or act of deciding or allowing something.
72. Japanese city that's home to Nijo Castle: KYOTO. The castle consists of two concentric rings (Kuruwa) of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens. The surface area of the castle is 275,000 square metres (27.5 ha; 68 acres), of which 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft) is occupied by buildings. Kyoto, once the capital of Japan, is a city on the island of Honshu. It's famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, as well as gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses.
Down:
1. Belief system: -ISM. A suffix appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it was used to form action nouns from verbs (baptism); on this model, used as a productive suffix in the formation of nouns denoting action or practice, state or condition, principles, doctrines, a usage or characteristic, devotion or adherence, etc.
2. Dean's list fig.: GPA. Grade Point Average.
3. Web pioneer: AOL. America On Line An American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. It was founded in 1985.
4. Larynx: VOICE BOX. The hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal cords in humans and other mammals;
5. Idris of "The Suicide Squad": ELBA. Idrissa Akuna Elba OBE [b. 1972] is an English actor and DJ. An alumnus of the National Youth Music Theatre in London, he is known for roles including Stringer Bell in the HBO series The Wire, DCI John Luther in the BBC One series Luther, and Nelson Mandela in the biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. OBE is an award given in the UK for a special achievement.
6. Bare-bones: BASIC. Reduced to or comprising only the unadorned or essential elements of something.
7. "Don't delay!": ACT NOW. Snooze and you lose.
8. "Levitating" singer __ Lipa: DUA. Dua Lipa (b. 1995) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Her mezzo-soprano vocal range and disco-influenced production have received critical acclaim and media coverage. She has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including six Brit Awards, three Grammy Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, two Billboard Music Awards, an American Music Award, and two Guinness World Records. She was included on the Time 100 Next list in 2021.
MEH!
9. Structure stabilized by a keystone: ARCH. A curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supporting the weight of a bridge, roof, or wall above it. A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces in place.
10. Actor Diggs: TAYE. Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs [1971] is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals Rent and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the TV series Private Practice, Murder in the First, and All American
11. EGOT winner Rita: MORENO. Rita Moreno [b. 1931] is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. She is noted for her work on stage and screen in a career spanning over seven decades. Moreno is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
12. 1974 hit with Spanish lyrics: ERES TU. "Eres tú" (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈeɾes ˈtu]; "You Are") is a popular Spanish language song written in 1973 by Juan Carlos Calderón and performed by the Spanish band Mocedades, with Amaya Uranga performing the lead vocal.
13. Social service?: TEA SET. Also called a TEA SERVICE, this is a set of matching tea pot, cups, saucers, along with cream and sugar containers, often made of fine china. I can be used at a social event.
16. Any Super Bowl LVI-winning player: L. A. RAM. Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played on Feb.13, 2022, to determine the champion of the National Football League for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference champion Cincinnati Bengals, 23–20.
18. Lyft competitor: UBER. These are companies that offer app based ride sharing opportunities, and other transportation services.
22. Emphatic denial: I DID NOT. And I really mean it!
23. Degree for future execs: MBA. Master of Business Administration. I have one, but was never an exec.
24. Succor: AID. Assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.
25. Formally surrender: CEDE. Give up (power or territory).
27. Like some vivid colors: NEON. Neon colors are just bright types of primary and secondary colors, such as green, yellow, red, blue, and purple. Neon colors stand apart from conventional colors since they absorb and reflect more light.
30. Necessitates: ENTAILS. Involves (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence.
32. Hosp. worker: LPN. Licensed Practical Nurse.
33. Tropical garland: LEI. A circle of flowers that is worn around the neck in Polynesia.
37. Cars singer Ocasek: RIC. Richard Theodore Otcasek, [ 1944 - 2019] known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock band The Cars.
38. Actress de Armas: ANA. Ana Celia de Armas Caso [b. 1988] is a Cuban and Spanish actress. She began her career in Cuba with a leading role in the romantic drama Una rosa de Francia. At the age of 18, she moved to Madrid, Spain, and starred in the popular drama El Internado for six seasons from 2007 to 2010
39. Humble self-appraisal: I TRY. But -- do I succeed?
40. Radioactive emission: GAMMA RAY. A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation, is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically shorter than those of X-rays.
41. Lisa Loeb's biggest hit: STAY. Lisa Loeb [b. 1968] is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with the number one hit song "Stay" from the film Reality Bites, the first number one single for an artist without a recording contract.
44. Miscalculate: ERR. Make a mistake.
45. Calypso-influenced genre: SKA. A music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat.
46. Malarkey: BUSHWA. Nonsense.
47. Really pumped: IN TO IT. Highly enthused about something.
48. "Lawrence of Arabia" star: O'TOOLE. Peter Seamus O'Toole [1932 - 2013]. was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic and with the English Stage Company.
49. Kinda chilly: NIPPY. That's cool.
50. Angled joints: MITERS. A joint made between two pieces of wood or other material at an angle of 90°, such that the line of junction bisects this angle.
51. "Late Night" host after Jimmy: SETH. Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.
54. Gnocchi sauce: PESTO. A sauce that traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Sardo, all blended with olive oil. It originated in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy.
57. Crocus kin: IRIS. A flowering plant genus of 310 accepted species with showy flowers. As well as being the scientific name, iris is also widely used as a common name for all Iris species, as well as some belonging to other closely related genera.
58. Designer Ricci: NINA. Nina Ricci [1883 - 1970], born Maria Nielli in Turin, was an Italian-born French fashion designer. She moved to France at the age of 12. At the age of 13, she began an apprenticeship at a dressmaker's. In 1904, she married Luigi Ricci. They had one child,
60. Ribs order: RACK. A rack of ribs will have a minimum of 8 ribs, but can also include up to 13 depending on the butcher and how it was prepared. Butchers will call it a “cheater rack” if it contains less than 10 ribs.
63. TV actress Susan: DEY. Susan Hallock Dey [b. 1952] is a retired American actress, known for her television roles as Laurie Partridge on the sitcom The Partridge Family from 1970 to 1974, and as Grace Van Owen on the drama series L.A. Law from 1986 to 1992.
64. Brief "As I see things": IMO. In My Opinion.
65. Accounting figure: NET. The amount that's left over after you deduct expenses, taxes, and other liabilities (sums you have to pay). Your net amount is the lowest number you can get, meaning you only reach your net point once you've subtracted everything you need to dedicate money to.
66. Gloppy stuff: GOO. A sticky or slimy substance.
So, on that rather unpleasant not, we bring another Wednesday to a close. But we covered a lot of territory, and I hope you enjoyed the rest of the excursion.
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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JzB