(Note from C.C.: Today's post is blogged by Dr. Dad who is currently on a business trip. Barry Silk's themeless puzzle was published in LA Times on Saturday Feb 21, 2009.)
Hello! My name is Dr. Dad. I found C.C.'s Star Tribune Crossword Corner by accident a while ago when solving the Trib puzzle published in the Providence Journal (RI). I have had a great time on her site and she graciously asked me to guest blog and, therefore - today I am guest blogging for the Star Tribune Crossword Corner. She does an excellent job with analyzing crosswords and has numerous visitors. I hope I do her justice with Barry Silk's themeless puzzle of February 21st.
There seems to be a hint of a "theme" in this puzzle - 12D: Action Hero. Many times the heroes of action films can be seen wearing Jump Suits (35D) and Life Jackets (1A) with numerous Sweat Stains (57A). They need a lot of Horse Sense (14D), especially when Standing Guard (13D). Not my best effort at figuring out themes, but ---
Enough of that. Off to the puzzle (70 words).
Across:
11A: Bills: CASH. My cash is dwindling in this troubled economy.
15A: It's 42 miles NNW of Bar Harbor: ORONO, MAINE. I was surprised that the answer contained the state as well. The University of Maine is located here and Orono is a frequent answer in Xwords.
16A: Pi opening?: OCTO. Nice trick. I looked for other Greek letters. Ugly looking but they taste delicious. I first ate them when I visited China.
17A: Warning sign: DO NOT ENTER.
18A: Sky light: STAR.
19A: _____' acte: ENTR. French for "between the acts." It can refer to an intermission but more often refers to a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production. It is also a 1924 film.
20A: Short change?: CTS. Goes hand in hand with my "11A cash" that is also getting short.
21A: Morning prayers: MATINS. The early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies.
23A: Liberally "strong" in Hawaiian: MAHI. Mahi Mahi is "strong strong" for dolphin fish. This Mahi Mahi with Ginger Soy Sauce looks delicious.
25A: 1963 system based on a 1944 Robert Moon proposal: ZIP CODE. I wonder if Mr. Moon prepared for the nine-digit system or only the five-digit one.
26A: Like jambalaya: CREOLE. Creole is not the same as Cajun.
29A: Billboard listings: HIT SONGS.
30A: Energize: REV UP. Plenty of revving up a couple of Sundays ago at this place.
31A: Soprano Fleming: RENEE. Not familiar with this person. My favorite is Ian.
32A: Old TV knob: HUE. Does anyone still own a TV with knobs?
33A: Latin 101 verb: AMAS
34A: Dermatology issues: SORES. What about acne?
35A: Psychologist Piaget: JEAN. Well known (but not to me) for his work studying children and their cognitive development.
36A: Adverb ending: IAL
37A: Runs through: STABS
38A: Doesn't knock?: PURRS. Most of the engines at Daytona were "purring."
39A: Some tennis players: GRUNTERS. At 101 decibels, Wimbledon's defending champion Maria Sharapova is judged the loudest grunter so far.
41A: No longer très chic: DEMODE. Très chic is from French "very smart". Démodé is French, past participle of démoder, to outmode.
42A: Christmas village display figures: SKATERS. I still think she was one of the best.
43A: One for the books?: PERP. Help! I don't understand this one. All I know is perpendicular for Xwords. And the perp helped me to get this answer.
44A: Not on time for: LATE TO
45A: Military rank: MAJ. Major.
46A: Where T. Rex Sue was found: SDAK. South Dakota. You can see her at the Field Museum.
50A: Sacred bird of old Egypt: IBIS
51A: Not enough: INADEQUATE. Like my cash and short change and if you have enough you can give it to:
54A: Bandit one hopefully gives money to?: SLOT. And then your CPA can be concerned with:
55A: DEDUCTIBLE(s)
56A: Knockouts, so to speak: TENS. Kind of in keeping with the short change and bills. Not enough to go around.
Down:
1D: Valuable deposit: LODE. Wish I'd find one to help my short change, cash, and tens.
2D: Word with hand or horse: IRON. Fits well with "Horse Sense" in this puzzle.
3D: Newspaper option: FONT.
4D: Titanic: ENORMOUS. And SHE was. Loved the movie.
5D: Scribble: JOT
6D: "Cocoon" Oscar Winner: AMECHE. I am glad that Heath Ledger got the posthumous award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
7D: "C'mon . . . please?": CAN'T I?
8D: Hobbyists' buys: KITS
9D: Storm hdg: ENE. Much better than "opposite of "WSW."
10D: Home wreckers: TERMITES. I thought of "Exes" but then again, I have had termites and they truly are home wreckers.
11D: BJ's competitor: COSTCO. Another competitor is Sam's Club (used to be PACE).
22D: Sanctuary section: APSE. A crossword staple, along with NAVE.
24D: Matterhorn, e.g.: ALP. Here is another famous Alp - the Eiger (Clint Eastwood fans might remember "The Eiger Sanction.").
25D: Popular issues: ZINES. (pronounced 'zene') - An abbreviation of the word fanzine, or magazine. It is most commonly a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images.
26D: Alternative to newspaper classifieds: CRAIG'S LIST. This is indeed becoming popular as the alternative.
27D: Noteworthy: REMARKABLE. Describes nicely the tribute Barry Silk gave C.C. and her site with his "Star Tribune Crossword Puzzle" from last week. Thanks, Barry.
28D: Critique: EVALUATION
29D: Tea flavorings: HERBS
31D: Comedy club sounds: ROARS
34D" Subject of the 2007 Mitchell Report: STEROIDS. 'Nuff' said on this subject.
37D: Proof instruction: STET. Another Xword staple.
38D: By way of: PER. This helped me get "perp" for 43A which I still don't understand.
40D: Powerful experiments: NTESTS. The chemist in me kept thinking laboratory. Here is one of the most powerful N Tests. I am glad we stopped these and hope no one else wants to start.
41D: Bring down: DEJECT
43D: "The Taming of the Shrew" setting: PADUA. Here is the the map.
45D: Good way to have it: MADE. Don't we all wish that?
47D: "The Aba ___ Honeymoon": DABA. I was glad it was 'daba' because all I could think of was Fred Flintstone and 'Yabba Dabba Doo!"
48D: Mythical Hun King: ATLI. This has become a staple in recent Xwords.
49D: Insightful: KEEN
52D: Just out: NEW. As am I on this crossword blogging. I hope I've done okay.
53D: Dairy units: Abbr.: QTS.
Thank you, C.C. for asking me to do this. It was fun and I hope you and all visitors like my "Critique = Evaluation (28D)".
Dr. Dad
Hello! My name is Dr. Dad. I found C.C.'s Star Tribune Crossword Corner by accident a while ago when solving the Trib puzzle published in the Providence Journal (RI). I have had a great time on her site and she graciously asked me to guest blog and, therefore - today I am guest blogging for the Star Tribune Crossword Corner. She does an excellent job with analyzing crosswords and has numerous visitors. I hope I do her justice with Barry Silk's themeless puzzle of February 21st.
There seems to be a hint of a "theme" in this puzzle - 12D: Action Hero. Many times the heroes of action films can be seen wearing Jump Suits (35D) and Life Jackets (1A) with numerous Sweat Stains (57A). They need a lot of Horse Sense (14D), especially when Standing Guard (13D). Not my best effort at figuring out themes, but ---
Enough of that. Off to the puzzle (70 words).
Across:
11A: Bills: CASH. My cash is dwindling in this troubled economy.
15A: It's 42 miles NNW of Bar Harbor: ORONO, MAINE. I was surprised that the answer contained the state as well. The University of Maine is located here and Orono is a frequent answer in Xwords.
16A: Pi opening?: OCTO. Nice trick. I looked for other Greek letters. Ugly looking but they taste delicious. I first ate them when I visited China.
17A: Warning sign: DO NOT ENTER.
18A: Sky light: STAR.
19A: _____' acte: ENTR. French for "between the acts." It can refer to an intermission but more often refers to a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production. It is also a 1924 film.
20A: Short change?: CTS. Goes hand in hand with my "11A cash" that is also getting short.
21A: Morning prayers: MATINS. The early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies.
23A: Liberally "strong" in Hawaiian: MAHI. Mahi Mahi is "strong strong" for dolphin fish. This Mahi Mahi with Ginger Soy Sauce looks delicious.
25A: 1963 system based on a 1944 Robert Moon proposal: ZIP CODE. I wonder if Mr. Moon prepared for the nine-digit system or only the five-digit one.
26A: Like jambalaya: CREOLE. Creole is not the same as Cajun.
29A: Billboard listings: HIT SONGS.
30A: Energize: REV UP. Plenty of revving up a couple of Sundays ago at this place.
31A: Soprano Fleming: RENEE. Not familiar with this person. My favorite is Ian.
32A: Old TV knob: HUE. Does anyone still own a TV with knobs?
33A: Latin 101 verb: AMAS
34A: Dermatology issues: SORES. What about acne?
35A: Psychologist Piaget: JEAN. Well known (but not to me) for his work studying children and their cognitive development.
36A: Adverb ending: IAL
37A: Runs through: STABS
38A: Doesn't knock?: PURRS. Most of the engines at Daytona were "purring."
39A: Some tennis players: GRUNTERS. At 101 decibels, Wimbledon's defending champion Maria Sharapova is judged the loudest grunter so far.
41A: No longer très chic: DEMODE. Très chic is from French "very smart". Démodé is French, past participle of démoder, to outmode.
42A: Christmas village display figures: SKATERS. I still think she was one of the best.
43A: One for the books?: PERP. Help! I don't understand this one. All I know is perpendicular for Xwords. And the perp helped me to get this answer.
44A: Not on time for: LATE TO
45A: Military rank: MAJ. Major.
46A: Where T. Rex Sue was found: SDAK. South Dakota. You can see her at the Field Museum.
50A: Sacred bird of old Egypt: IBIS
51A: Not enough: INADEQUATE. Like my cash and short change and if you have enough you can give it to:
54A: Bandit one hopefully gives money to?: SLOT. And then your CPA can be concerned with:
55A: DEDUCTIBLE(s)
56A: Knockouts, so to speak: TENS. Kind of in keeping with the short change and bills. Not enough to go around.
Down:
1D: Valuable deposit: LODE. Wish I'd find one to help my short change, cash, and tens.
2D: Word with hand or horse: IRON. Fits well with "Horse Sense" in this puzzle.
3D: Newspaper option: FONT.
4D: Titanic: ENORMOUS. And SHE was. Loved the movie.
5D: Scribble: JOT
6D: "Cocoon" Oscar Winner: AMECHE. I am glad that Heath Ledger got the posthumous award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
7D: "C'mon . . . please?": CAN'T I?
8D: Hobbyists' buys: KITS
9D: Storm hdg: ENE. Much better than "opposite of "WSW."
10D: Home wreckers: TERMITES. I thought of "Exes" but then again, I have had termites and they truly are home wreckers.
11D: BJ's competitor: COSTCO. Another competitor is Sam's Club (used to be PACE).
22D: Sanctuary section: APSE. A crossword staple, along with NAVE.
24D: Matterhorn, e.g.: ALP. Here is another famous Alp - the Eiger (Clint Eastwood fans might remember "The Eiger Sanction.").
25D: Popular issues: ZINES. (pronounced 'zene') - An abbreviation of the word fanzine, or magazine. It is most commonly a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images.
26D: Alternative to newspaper classifieds: CRAIG'S LIST. This is indeed becoming popular as the alternative.
27D: Noteworthy: REMARKABLE. Describes nicely the tribute Barry Silk gave C.C. and her site with his "Star Tribune Crossword Puzzle" from last week. Thanks, Barry.
28D: Critique: EVALUATION
29D: Tea flavorings: HERBS
31D: Comedy club sounds: ROARS
34D" Subject of the 2007 Mitchell Report: STEROIDS. 'Nuff' said on this subject.
37D: Proof instruction: STET. Another Xword staple.
38D: By way of: PER. This helped me get "perp" for 43A which I still don't understand.
40D: Powerful experiments: NTESTS. The chemist in me kept thinking laboratory. Here is one of the most powerful N Tests. I am glad we stopped these and hope no one else wants to start.
41D: Bring down: DEJECT
43D: "The Taming of the Shrew" setting: PADUA. Here is the the map.
45D: Good way to have it: MADE. Don't we all wish that?
47D: "The Aba ___ Honeymoon": DABA. I was glad it was 'daba' because all I could think of was Fred Flintstone and 'Yabba Dabba Doo!"
48D: Mythical Hun King: ATLI. This has become a staple in recent Xwords.
49D: Insightful: KEEN
52D: Just out: NEW. As am I on this crossword blogging. I hope I've done okay.
53D: Dairy units: Abbr.: QTS.
Thank you, C.C. for asking me to do this. It was fun and I hope you and all visitors like my "Critique = Evaluation (28D)".
Dr. Dad
What a surprise. For some reason, I thought Barry's Themeless was going to be in Sunday's blog. I hope everyone like's my comments.
ReplyDeleteOut on business but had enough time this morning to visit the site. Got through the Thursday, 2/26/09 puzzle without too much trouble. No googling but it certainly wasn't in Dennis Time.
Today is Carnival Day and Levi Strauss' Birthday. It is also National Pistachio Day and For Pete's Sake Day. Enquiring minds want to know: Who the hell is Pete and why should we care?
Have a great Thursday.
Dr.Dad, as I said on your blog, just an outstanding job, especially considering that you're not exactly swimming in free time. My compliments.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Dr. Dad
ReplyDeleteYour turn next, Dennis.
A second clue for 43A: One for the books?: PERP.
"Book 'em, Danno!"
Dr. Dad,
ReplyDeleteYeah, my plan to surprise others with a mysterious blogger was spiked last night. Need to inform Barry Silk too. Thanks for the great work. You are a natural, just as Argyle our sweet Santa is. No comment on the puzzle as I have not tackled it yet.
Argyle,
I don't get Chris's theme music yesterday at all.
Argyle,
ReplyDeleteI don't get Chris's theme music yesterday at all.
It had 'Wednesday' in the title, that's all. I was always intrigued by the two treatments of basically the same song. That was why I linked the second version of the song.
You did a splendid job, IHMO
ReplyDeleteCouldn't get 38A Purrs, but for your explanation also did not have 39A Grunters reminded me of Monica Seles what a Grrunter very annoying, lol
New to me was Demode and Perp, i only know Perp to be short for Perpetrator but " one for the books ? "
And lovely map of Italia . had forgotten where Padova was
Oh another unknown was t. Rex Sue, wow
Oh, a bulb just lit
ReplyDeleteWhen a Perpetrator gets booked by the Police
you think ?
Good Morning Dr. Dad, I haven't started our regular Thursday puzzle, but B.Silk's terrific L.A. Times puzzle has been finished and on my desk for several days. I'm happy to be able to comment on it.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned the other day that twelve ten letter answers, as well as six eight letter answers made this puzzle a dilly!
I had a heck of a time on ORONOMAINE (18A), and SWEATSTAIN (57A). Some of the shorter words weren't any easier, ZIPCODE (25A), JEAN (35A), GRUNTERS (39A) and PURRS(38A) were all stickers for a while. Happily, Barry Silk gives us enough easy(easier?) perps to help us through.
Sorry, Dr. Dad...Nancy Kerrigan?? For all the "kid's" out there, nobody was a bigger skating star in her time than Sonja Henie. She won ten world championships and three Olympic gold medals She starred in 12 movies in the 1930's and 1940's with leading men like Tyrone Power and Don Ameche. I spent about five years of my life (until I discovered boys!!) trying to skate just like Sonja.
I take a lot of pride in knowing all the words, both verse and chorus to Aba Daba Honeymoon. I know, I need to get a life!!
AND a big Thank You to Dr. Dad for taking the time to blog for us. It is not an easy and you did an outstanding job.
Hard, hard possible. IAL for "Adverb ending"? That's devious. I wanted ILY. Adverbial was simply not in my mind. Saw "By way of" and wrote down VIA immediately. That's how Wayne Williams often clues the word. "One for the books?" is a great clue for PERP. Anyway, I could how many correct answers I filled before I came here. "Subject of the 2007 Mitchell Report" STEROIDS was a rare a gimme.
ReplyDeleteMy Firefox is down. Does anyone experience the same GLITCH today? IE seems fine.
Barry Silk,
ReplyDeleteForgot to say earlier I liked the OCTO clue, though I always thought the plural form of octopus is octopuses. Why the abbreviation NNW for ORONO, MAINE? Also, I prefer a "horseless" clue for IRON (2D: Word with hand or horse) due to HORSE SENSE (14D).
Dr. Dad,
You meant the octopus in Yantai? Still strange to think you've been to an area where I worked before. How does CREOLE differ from Cajun? I also don't understand the cluing rationale of HUE ( 32A: Old TV knob), SORES (34A: Dermatology issues), TENS (56A: Knockouts, so to speak) and MADE (Good way to have it). Also, is "hdg" a common abbreviation for heading (9D: ENE, Storm hdg)?
Dr. Dad et al,
ReplyDeleteBarry Silk is traveling to NY for the ACPT Tournament today and has no access to a computer until Sunday evening. So, he won't address our questions until he is back home.
Dr. Dad...You are absolutely terrific and I think you found your own "sub-theme" MONEY, or lack thereof.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was so much fun and I really had to pick it up, put it down, pick it up again and slap my forehead. Even though it initially seemed almost impossible at the beginning, it came together well. The place where I made mistakes were my errors.
Your answers and links were superb, and you did a wonderful job with this...Thanks ever so much.
Thank you so much to Barry Silk for another intriguing and clever puzzle. When I finished it, I felt great!
Thanks Dr Dad for an excellent job.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this X Word even though it took a long time to finally finish with some help from an atlas( Orono Me.) and Mr G.
It did look impossible for the longest time and after picking up and putting down many times it eventually came together.
When ordering Mahi Mahi will now ask for strong strong fish.
This reminds me of N Y times X Word which I used to attempt when living in Nyc.
Guess NBC/Golf channel are in mourning after Tiger was knocked out today. Thats the reason the networks hate Matchplay.
Jimmy S Carolina
Excellent job, Drdad! I loved how you kept the short on money idea weaving through all your comments with the answers. It was cute and brought a chuckle. Great links too. Very well done.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking at this rather late, as I had quite a few things to do today, and only took time to keep up with the other Thursday blog until now, bed time.
ReplyDeleteDr. Dad did a wonderful job of blogging it. I agree that the PERP would need to be BOOKED, and hence would be one for the BOOKS.
Is Pete the one guarding the pearly gate? Curses often seem to involve religious figures for some reason.
I had a real hangup with ORONO for a long time, looking all over the map of ME for a place with the right number of letters NNW of Bar Harbor, but finally enough perps helped me guess it. It's not an area I'm at all familiar with.
But my real bug was the LIFEjacket. I couldn't get my head around it at all, and when I started to read the blog, there it was, so I quickly got 1,2 and 3D from that.
I also had ILY for 36A for a while. I guessed MAHI because I figured it was a big, and therefore strong fish. The rest came together after several sittings and returnings.
Thanks Dr. Dad, Barry S. and c.c.!
C.C. - this link tells about the differnces between Acadians, Creoles, and Cajuns.
ReplyDeleteKnockouts so to speak - in boxing a fighter is knocked out when he cannot rise after hitting the canvas before the referee counts to TEN.
Good way to have it - Made. When things are going well you "have it made."
Way back when, we had a TV that had knobs for adjusting the tint, hue (color) and contrast. Today they are done from the menu that pops up on the TV using the remote control.
If you have sores on your skin, it is indeed a dermatology issue. Didn't really like the clue though.
I have seen hdg as an abbreviation for heading.
Thanks to everyone for the nice feedback.
Dr. Dad,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the answers. When do you normally leave for work? 5:00am?
Ah, Dr. Dad,
ReplyDelete56A: Knockouts, so to speak: TENS
I believe this, Bo Derek in the movie "10" is the knockout to speak of.
Nice write-up Dr. Dad. Was on vacation when this came out. My hat is off to you for working this in around your job and travels! I had to cheat a lot to finish this puzzle too so my hat is off to you not only for blogging but for finishing the puzzle.
ReplyDelete