Theme: None
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 32
The empty grid sure does not look intimidating, does it? No forbidding stacks of long letter entries or grid spanners. Just a couple of 8s and 9s, then a bunch of 7s (total 24).
But it's a tough journey for me. The clues are very tricky, epitomized by TO BE (50A. Part of a stage question). "To be, or not to be". Devious!
I'd also like to highlight the "it/its" clues in this puzzle:
7A. You might be unprepared for it: POP QUIZ. Scrabbly. Letters H & X are unused in today's grid.
16A. It makes it easier for you to lose your balance: ATM CARD. Sly clue!
27A. Its capital is Doha: QATAR. Know it only because of Doha Conference.
46A. It may be thrown in: TOWEL. Throw in the towel.
51A. Old Navy is one of its brands: GAP. I like their jeans.
Do you enjoy those "it/its" or too many for your taste?
Across:
1. Comfort food snack for some, briefly: PB AND J. It's either "Comfort food" or "snack" for me. I've never used the full term "Comfort food snack".
14. Country with a mostly red, white and blue flag: SERBIA. OK, here's their flag. Why "mostly"? It seems the flag consists of those three colors only.
15. Receiving aid: ANTENNA
18. General plan: ROAD MAP
19. Time out?: NAP. The question mark did not prevent me from thinking of sports.
20. Einstein and Planck, e.g.: GERMANS. Not familiar with Max Planck, founder of quantum theory.
22. Unproven ability, for short: ESP
23. Brew choice: DRIP. Oh dear. I was thinking of beer. Don't drink coffee.
25. One of the Allmans: DUANE. Not familiar with his name either. He died at age 24 of a motorcycle accident.
26. Scruff: NAPE
29. LP filler?: MNO. Alphabet: L (MNO) P. Nailed it.
30. Colombian title: SENOR
31. Modus operandi: SYSTEM
33. Gettysburg general: PICKETT (George). Have vaguely heard of Pickett's Charge. Could only think of R.E. Lee.
35. Weighed: EVALUATED
37. "I intend to live __. So far, so good": Steven Wright: FOREVER. I guessed.
39. Forgetful, in a way: SENILE
43. Crow: VAUNT
44. Five-time Fiesta Bowl champs, for short: ASU (Arizona State University). The Sun Devils.
47. Digging, so to speak: INTO
48. Six-time U.S. Open winner: EVERT (Chris). Tennis. Sad to hear her marriage to Greg Norman ended so quickly.
52. Urges: PRESSES
54. Accident consequence: JAM. Did not leap to me quickly.
55. Salad bar option: ITALIAN. Dressing.
57. Trig inverse: ARC SINE. No idea. I was totally confused at my high school math class. Inverse of sine.
59. Driving need: LICENSE
60. Shade of pink: SALMON. I bet this was a gimme for ARBAON. She was just talking about
salmon and coral the other day.
61. Like aftershave: SCENTED
62. Wide of the mark: ERRANT. Shouldn't be "Wide off the mark"?
Down:
1. Things to mind: PS AND QS. Mind one's Ps and Qs.
2. Radioactive emission: BETA-RAY. New phrase to me.
3. Axillae: ARMPITS. This I knew.
4. "Heroes" home: NBC
5. Bishop's rte.: DIAG (Diagonal). Don't play chess.
6. "Chapter 27" star Leto: JARED. His mug looks familiar. Don't recall his name at all.
7. "Knowing all the facts," according to Woody Allen: PARANOIA. The quote clue feels incomplete to me. I'd prefer: "It's knowing all the facts, " according to Woody Allen.
8. Two __: hockey advantage: ON ONE. Hockey clue always stumps me.
9. Class-conscious orgs.?: PTAS. Got me again.
10. Logical letters: QED. Can't jam ERGO in.
11. Not intended: UNMEANT. Man, I checked. It's in the dictionary.
12. Up the creek: IN A SPOT
13. Remote: ZAPPER. Was unaware that zapper is slang for remote control.
17. Word with kettle or steel: DRUM
21. Handbag counterparts: MAN PURSES. Just like this?
24. Major college football's winningest coach: PATERNO (Joe). Penn State. Some blog comments about him a while ago.
26. Is unobliged to: NEED NOT
28. Protect from erosion, as a riverbank: REVET. First encounter with this word.
30. Shooting sport: SKEET
32. Amer. Airlines Center player: MAV. Dallas Mavericks.
34. Tender abbr.: CTS. I don't get this one. Cents? Tender here refers to "money"?
36. Unlike matzo: LEAVENED
37. Monomaniac: FANATIC
38. Beat: OUTPACE
40. Mount Suribachi's island: IWO JIMA. I peeked at the answer sheet.
41. Part of ancient Phoenicia, today: LEBANON. Gimme, JD?
42. Gold, e.g.: ELEMENT
43. Watches: VIGILS. I was looking at my own watch and could not come up with anything.
45. __ Minor: URSA. Penned in ASIA.
48. Remove: ERASE
49. Clipped: TERSE. Can you give me examples about how they are interchangeable?
52. Pub serving: PINT
53. __ tissue: SCAR
56. Football Hall of Famer Dawson: LEN
58. Point-and-shoot alternative, briefly: SLR (Single-Lens Reflex)
Answer grid.
Happy 45th Wedding Anniversary to Spitzboov! Have a great cruise to Bermuda!
C.C.
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 32
The empty grid sure does not look intimidating, does it? No forbidding stacks of long letter entries or grid spanners. Just a couple of 8s and 9s, then a bunch of 7s (total 24).
But it's a tough journey for me. The clues are very tricky, epitomized by TO BE (50A. Part of a stage question). "To be, or not to be". Devious!
I'd also like to highlight the "it/its" clues in this puzzle:
7A. You might be unprepared for it: POP QUIZ. Scrabbly. Letters H & X are unused in today's grid.
16A. It makes it easier for you to lose your balance: ATM CARD. Sly clue!
27A. Its capital is Doha: QATAR. Know it only because of Doha Conference.
46A. It may be thrown in: TOWEL. Throw in the towel.
51A. Old Navy is one of its brands: GAP. I like their jeans.
Do you enjoy those "it/its" or too many for your taste?
Across:
1. Comfort food snack for some, briefly: PB AND J. It's either "Comfort food" or "snack" for me. I've never used the full term "Comfort food snack".
14. Country with a mostly red, white and blue flag: SERBIA. OK, here's their flag. Why "mostly"? It seems the flag consists of those three colors only.
15. Receiving aid: ANTENNA
18. General plan: ROAD MAP
19. Time out?: NAP. The question mark did not prevent me from thinking of sports.
20. Einstein and Planck, e.g.: GERMANS. Not familiar with Max Planck, founder of quantum theory.
22. Unproven ability, for short: ESP
23. Brew choice: DRIP. Oh dear. I was thinking of beer. Don't drink coffee.
25. One of the Allmans: DUANE. Not familiar with his name either. He died at age 24 of a motorcycle accident.
26. Scruff: NAPE
29. LP filler?: MNO. Alphabet: L (MNO) P. Nailed it.
30. Colombian title: SENOR
31. Modus operandi: SYSTEM
33. Gettysburg general: PICKETT (George). Have vaguely heard of Pickett's Charge. Could only think of R.E. Lee.
35. Weighed: EVALUATED
37. "I intend to live __. So far, so good": Steven Wright: FOREVER. I guessed.
39. Forgetful, in a way: SENILE
43. Crow: VAUNT
44. Five-time Fiesta Bowl champs, for short: ASU (Arizona State University). The Sun Devils.
47. Digging, so to speak: INTO
48. Six-time U.S. Open winner: EVERT (Chris). Tennis. Sad to hear her marriage to Greg Norman ended so quickly.
52. Urges: PRESSES
54. Accident consequence: JAM. Did not leap to me quickly.
55. Salad bar option: ITALIAN. Dressing.
57. Trig inverse: ARC SINE. No idea. I was totally confused at my high school math class. Inverse of sine.
59. Driving need: LICENSE
60. Shade of pink: SALMON. I bet this was a gimme for ARBAON. She was just talking about
salmon and coral the other day.
61. Like aftershave: SCENTED
62. Wide of the mark: ERRANT. Shouldn't be "Wide off the mark"?
Down:
1. Things to mind: PS AND QS. Mind one's Ps and Qs.
2. Radioactive emission: BETA-RAY. New phrase to me.
3. Axillae: ARMPITS. This I knew.
4. "Heroes" home: NBC
5. Bishop's rte.: DIAG (Diagonal). Don't play chess.
6. "Chapter 27" star Leto: JARED. His mug looks familiar. Don't recall his name at all.
7. "Knowing all the facts," according to Woody Allen: PARANOIA. The quote clue feels incomplete to me. I'd prefer: "It's knowing all the facts, " according to Woody Allen.
8. Two __: hockey advantage: ON ONE. Hockey clue always stumps me.
9. Class-conscious orgs.?: PTAS. Got me again.
10. Logical letters: QED. Can't jam ERGO in.
11. Not intended: UNMEANT. Man, I checked. It's in the dictionary.
12. Up the creek: IN A SPOT
13. Remote: ZAPPER. Was unaware that zapper is slang for remote control.
17. Word with kettle or steel: DRUM
21. Handbag counterparts: MAN PURSES. Just like this?
24. Major college football's winningest coach: PATERNO (Joe). Penn State. Some blog comments about him a while ago.
26. Is unobliged to: NEED NOT
28. Protect from erosion, as a riverbank: REVET. First encounter with this word.
30. Shooting sport: SKEET
32. Amer. Airlines Center player: MAV. Dallas Mavericks.
34. Tender abbr.: CTS. I don't get this one. Cents? Tender here refers to "money"?
36. Unlike matzo: LEAVENED
37. Monomaniac: FANATIC
38. Beat: OUTPACE
40. Mount Suribachi's island: IWO JIMA. I peeked at the answer sheet.
41. Part of ancient Phoenicia, today: LEBANON. Gimme, JD?
42. Gold, e.g.: ELEMENT
43. Watches: VIGILS. I was looking at my own watch and could not come up with anything.
45. __ Minor: URSA. Penned in ASIA.
48. Remove: ERASE
49. Clipped: TERSE. Can you give me examples about how they are interchangeable?
52. Pub serving: PINT
53. __ tissue: SCAR
56. Football Hall of Famer Dawson: LEN
58. Point-and-shoot alternative, briefly: SLR (Single-Lens Reflex)
Answer grid.
Happy 45th Wedding Anniversary to Spitzboov! Have a great cruise to Bermuda!
C.C.
