A Plus
■ · By Wendy Walker · Published 2024-12-08T05:01:02.930Z
Meta Prompt
The answer is an accolade.
Hello, Muggle friends!
This week's SSS had its genesis, I'm ashamed to admit, during a recent high-school performance of 34A (starring Marshall Gantt and Lilah Brennan, pictured here). Unfortunately, out of nowhere, a metanism popped into my head, followed by possible themers. I gave in, sneaking a pen out of my purse and jotting down ideas on the program. Once I got home and fired up Crosshare, the puzzle pretty much formed itself.
SSS Skipper Cap'n Rick was amused by the fact that I, a well-known ignoramus about professional sports, included several sports clues. Thanks to Rick for his always-excellent edits and to Joe Ross, our formatting wizard.
And speaking of Crosshare: Would you please join me in supporting this wonderful site during its annual fundraiser? Crosshare relies completely on contributions to keep it going, and I find it to be a vital and user-friendly resource when creating puzzles. To contribute, go to: https://crosshare.org/donate?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly. Thank you!
Checking for previous play data...
Very spiffy touch. It would have been worth intentionally putting them out of order just for that bit. :) Fun stuff as always, thanks.
1A
"It never ___ to amaze me . . ."
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Across
- 1A"It never ___ to amaze me . . ."
- 7ABrownish pear variety
- 11AScale num.
- 14AImaginary character in "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2)
- 15AJames who sang "At Last"
- 16APartner of "ooh" at a fireworks display
- 17ARay of "GoodFellas"
- 18A"I'm [insert your hometown here], born and ___!" (4)
- 19AManaged care grp.
- 20ASlowly, on a musical score (6)
- 21A"Me, I want a hula ___"
- 22AQuick ___ McGraw
- 23AFrom a keg, as opposed to a bottle
- 25A___-Caps (movie theater candy brand)
- 27AColorful early spring flowers
- 30ANickname for Tampa Bay's football team
- 33ASanta ___ winds
- 34A"Romeo and Juliet" has five of these
- 36AHogwarts groundskeeper
- 38ADr. Frankenstein's lab assistant
- 40ASteed (8)
- 42AColossal
- 43AGrand Prix race
- 45APrefix for dynamic or space
- 47ACage fighting sport, for short
- 48AMaggie and Bart's sibling
- 49ASpoiled
- 51AFree TV spot
- 53ACharge
- 54AConservative UK party
- 57ACartoon dog who leaves a trail of, um, clues
- 59AFrolic (5)
- 63APrefix with gram or center
- 64AJaw part (3)
- 65AEarly release for an inmate
- 66AKeanu's "Matrix" role
- 67ASharpen
- 68ALike rose-colored glasses (1)
- 69AIt's dynamite!
- 70AAnnoys
- 71AArm covering
Down
- 1DWhere a Golgi body hangs out
- 2DOne of the Great Lakes
- 3DAuth. unknown
- 4DQuarrels
- 5DTallinn is its capital
- 6DRR stop
- 7DJazz genre
- 8DOther: Sp.
- 9DParts of a procedure
- 10DLove-'em-and-leave-'em type
- 11DCowardly Lion portrayer
- 12DRival of Vandy and Ole Miss
- 13DUncover
- 21DMust
- 22DMoolah
- 24DPC troubleshooters
- 26D76ers org.
- 27DBucket
- 28DWinged guardian
- 29DActress Watts
- 31DSpeck of food
- 32DSummation symbol
- 35DMrs., in Mexico
- 36DMarsh bird
- 37D"As ___ as a doornail" (like Jacob Marley)
- 39DLess than mellifluous
- 41DTransition
- 44DLil ___ X ("Old Town Road" rapper)
- 46D"We ran that scalawag out of town ___"
- 50DAgeless, to poets
- 52DLoathe
- 53DMysterious symbols
- 54DCamping shelter
- 55DHonest
- 56DMelee
- 58DPart of a necklace
- 60D"___ early and often"
- 61DAltitude (abbr.)
- 62DFirst sentence of a story, in newsroom jargon
- 64DChinese martial art tai ___
- 65DER customers