Hi all.
Jeffrey here.
“What’s Taking Place?” is this week’s puzzle title and did you “C” what is going on? The answer is revealed at 58a [*Septet of wet bodies … or of letters replacing sounds in the starred clues’ answers] – THE SEVEN C-S (the seven seas).
13a [*Is of the same opinion] – C-S EYE TO EYE (sees eye to eye).
18a [*Pesky star chasers, or literally “buzzing mosquitos” in Italian] – PAPARA-C (paparazzi).
22a [*Cola brand with no caffeine] – PEP-C FREE (Pepsi Free).
33a [*Kin of “Lands sakes!” or “My stars!”] – HEAVENS TO BET-C (heavens to Betsy).
46a [*Leader quoted in “The Little Red Book”] – MAO C-TUNG (Mao Tse-Tung).
50a [*Hiking and skiing peak near Vancouver] – MT C-MOUR (Mt. Seymour).
Canadian content:
5a [“ ___ Me Maybe” (Carly Rae Jepsen hit)] – CALL.
15a [CFL third down option] – PUNT. The Canadian Football League (CFL) only has three downs. Also, there are no touchbacks in Canadian football. A kick into the endzone that isn’t run out scores a single point (“rouge”). That can lead to this awesomeness.
17a [Native of Natuashish, N.L.] – INNU. A community in Newfoundland and Labrador.
19a [Dark times in Drummondville] – NUITS. Did you know? Bob Seger’s Hollywood Nights was originally called Drummondville Nuits.
25a [Actor Beatty or chef Bell] – NED. Bell is Canadian, Beatty is not.
48a [Fort Saskatchewan’s prov.] – ALTA. However, there is no Fort Alberta in Saskatchewan, which seems unfair.
50a [*Hiking and skiing peak near Vancouver] – MT C-MOUR (Mt Seymour). When a theme answer is also Canadian content my head explodes. Where do I put it??
59a [Older cousin of COVID-19] – SARS. Worst family reunion ever. An outbreak of SARS occurred in Toronto in 2003.
53d [Fed. seat holders] – MP’S. Members of Parliament.
Tip of the Week:
Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Drummondville Nuits!
See you next week!