Relative difficulty: Easy
THEME: FEE FI FO FUM — Theme answers smell the blood of an Englishman. Er, that is to say they end in FEE, FI, FO or FUM.
- ICED COFFEE (17A: Joe cool?)
- AIRPORT WIFI (30A: Amenity for jet setters?)
- THE INSIDE INFO (37A: What investigators really want to know)
- EAU DE PARFUM (46A: Aromatic fragrance with a French name)
- FEE FI FO FUM (60A: Fairy tale chant from a giant...or the ends of the answers to the starred clues)
Word of the Day: IRENA (38D: "The Faerie Queene" woman) —
The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books I–III were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IV–VI. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it is one of the longest poems in the English language; it is also the work in which Spenser invented the verse form known as the Spenserian stanza.[1] On a literal level, the poem follows several knights as a means to examine different virtues, and though the text is primarily an allegorical work, it can be read on several levels of allegory, including as praise (or, later, criticism) of Queen Elizabeth I. In Spenser's "Letter of the Authors", he states that the entire epic poem is "cloudily enwrapped in Allegorical devices", and that the aim of publishing The Faerie Queene was to "fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline".[2]
(Wikipedia)
Bullets:
- SOY (29A: Word before sauce or milk) — Oh my God does anyone remember that pseudoscience going around about soy milk containing so much estrogen that it was physically feminizing men? Like, can you imagine?
- MAA (65D: Goat's bleat) — For some reason the only thing I could think of was that chaotic Honda Element commercial from a few years ago and now I have to show it to all of you.
- ORCA (41D: Apex predator of the ocean) — I just read the sweetest middle grade book about orcas. One of the perks of working in a bookstore. The orcas get separated from their family...can they ever get home again?!? I'm not gonna tell you! Spoilers! Just go buy A Whale of the Wild yourself!
- TUTTI (22D: ___-frutti) — Nostalgia hit me like a freight train when I saw this one so here, have this scene.
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