38D. I can never recall how to spell CAROB, the “Cocoa alternative” favored by individuals who can’t (or select not to) consume chocolate.
48D. BE IT SO (“Words of agreement in Shakespeare”) reminded me of Jean-Luc Picard stating “Make it so!,” whilst I realize that the two phrases have distinctive meanings. One particular Shakespearean use of BE IT SO is observed in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” when Lysander implies to Hermia that they must end to relaxation, and she replies: “Be it so, Lysander: obtain you out a bed / For I on this financial institution will rest my head.” Of class, these “words of agreement” arrive just before a extended disagreement about regardless of whether they should really sleep near each other. BE IT SO!
55D. A “?” in the clue indicates wordplay — in this case, a engage in on the basic joke “What’s black and white and re(a)d all more than?” (A newspaper, which is what!) In 55D, “What’s black and white and a threat all over?” is the clue for ORCA, since ORCAs are black and white and discovered in every ocean on Earth.
Today’s Topic
Everyone who is familiar with me IRL knows how a great deal I really like the issue depicted by the circled letters in this puzzle, so I may perhaps be a teensy bit biased, but I uncovered this concept totally pleasant. And what is that detail, you may well be wanting to know? It is uncovered at 52A: “Rare sighting following a storm … or a hint to this puzzle’s circled letters.” The solution below is DOUBLE RAINBOW.
Each and every of the stacks of circled letters has the same letter two times, and study from left to proper, the circle letters spell RR-OO-YY-GG-BB-II-VV. That could also be read through as the text Roy G. Biv — the hues of the rainbow — doubled up. And if you had been to draw a curved line by means of the topmost double letters and yet another by way of the bottommost letters, you’d see two designs that about resemble a DOUBLE RAINBOW. Intelligent!
I’ll just title a couple of of my favorite concept-containing entries. The RRs, at the remaining end of the DOUBLE RAINBOW, come from the word KOOKABURRA (“Cackling Australian bird”). In addition to that contains that necessary RR for pink, KOOKABURRA is also just a super enjoyable entry. Similarly lively is Newborn YODA (“Nickname for the Mandalorian’s…