Theme title: A-FRAMES (39A. Houses with sharply angled roofs, and what this puzzle's four longest answers literally have in common) - Letter A bookends/frames each theme answer. (Update: Martin noticed all the theme answers end in place names.)
17A. 49th state's largest city: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. The Iditarod starts at ANCHORAGE and ends in Nome.
27A. E.M. Forster classic set in fictional Chandrapore: A PASSAGE TO INDIA. Have heard of the book/movie. Not the author. Chandrapore is a fictional Indian city.
47A. Classic Italian "farewell" song: ARRIVEDERCI ROMA. Ah, I've linked this song or some other version a few times when ROMA appeared as a fill. Arrivederci (ahr-ree-ve-DER-chee) = Au revoir.
63A. Two-part drama that won two Best Play Tonys and a Best Miniseries Emmy: ANGELS IN AMERICA. Was unaware of the specific awards it garnered.
A-FRAME is a house shaped like letter A, or inverted V. I learned this term last time when Argyle linked an A-FRAME coop picture. He said it helps protect those chickens in the nighttime. Very clever unifying answer.
Smooth sailing. Was familiar with all the four 15-letter theme answers. Rare for me.
Across:
8. Check signers: PAYERS. You don't find a checkbook in a common Chinese household. We jumped from cash transactions directly to debit/credit card.
14. 1950 Edmond O'Brien suspense classic: DOA. Got the answer from crossings. Looks scary.
15. Sliding __: DOOR. Kind of related to the A-FRAME theme.
16. Hide out: LIE LOW. That's exactly what Kanye West has been doing, lying low, after the Taylor Swift incident.
21. Sly: FOXY
25. "Was __ hard on him?"I TOO
36. Washroom, briefly: LAV (Lavatory). WC in China.
42. Point to pick: NIT. Wait for Jazzbumpa to comment.
43. Sam of "The Piano": NEILL. Wanted O'NEIL. Sam NEILL is a Kiwi.
45. Dapper guy?: DAN. John Gotti's nickname is "The Dapper Don".
46. __ about: approximately: ON OR
53. Loud crowd noise: ROAR. Did you hear the roar at the Metrodom? What an unbelievable game! Twins seem to suffer an Inferiority Complex when facing the Yankees though. In Lemonade's words, they are "choke artists destined to fade away into Yankee oblivion".
56. Community service org.: YMCA. Founded in 1844.
59. Popeye's creator: SEGAR (E. C.). No idea. Obtained his name from crosses again. Had S?GAR, then I thought of SUGAR first.
66. Freezing period: ICE AGE
68. Acne spot: ZIT
69. Clinton press secretary Myers: DEE DEE. The first woman to serve as White House Press Secretary.
Down:
3. Diplomat's forte: TACT. Well, obviously John Bolton does not have this attribute.
4. Has a crush on: ADORES
5. NYC's Bronx, e.g.: BOR (Borough)
7. Thus, to a logician: ERGO. Latin for "therefore", as in "Cogito, ERGO sum" (I think, therefore I am).
8. __ win: go all out: PLAY TO
9. Afflict: AIL. What had been ailing the Tigers? Unprecedented collapse! My husband really likes Miguel Cabrera.
10. Beginning of time, figuratively: YEAR ONE. "Figuratively" confused me a bit.
11. Film lioness: ELSA. From"Born Free".
12. Korean soldiers: ROKS. The soldiers in the ROK (Republic of Korea/South Korea)
13. Trade: SWAP. And PLIER (28D. One with a trade). Nice "trade" clue echo.
18. "Steppenwolf" writer Hermann: HESSE. Nobel Literature winner (1946).
19. Way off the turnpike: EXIT
27. Health Net rival: AETNA. Not familiar with Health Net. We have UnitedHealthcare here.
29. Moving about: ASTIR
30. Needle-toothed fish: GAR
31. Give the slip: EVADE. Just learned the idiom "Give the slip" a few months ago.
32. "Hawaii Five-O" nickname: DANNO. "Book 'em, DANNO!"
33. Figure of speech: IDIOM. They are not interchangeable to me. TROPE, yes.
34. Stars, in Latin: ASTRA. Have not seen the French star étoile for a while.
39. Thomas __ Edison: ALVA. An A-FRAME word too.
40. Scuff or scratch: MAR. Alliteration.
44. Interpret via mouth movements: LIPREAD. "Read my lip: no new taxes", coined by Peggy Noonan.
46. Neatness: ORDER
48. Paris palace: ELYSEE. ELYSEE Palace is the French "White House".
50. Maps within maps: INSETS
53. Vice squad action: RAID
55. "The African Queen" co-screenwriter: AGEE (James). Co-written with John Houston.
57. "The Suze Orman Show" channel: CNBC. Suze Orman looks very intimidating.
58. 50-and-over org.: AARP
60. City near the Sphinx: GIZA. Near the Great Pyramids too. On the Nile.
61. Word before rain or rock: ACID
65. Goat's cry: MAA. Ah, missed an opportunity to weave with CALF (24D: Young cow). CALF maa too.
Answer grid.
C.C.
17A. 49th state's largest city: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. The Iditarod starts at ANCHORAGE and ends in Nome.
27A. E.M. Forster classic set in fictional Chandrapore: A PASSAGE TO INDIA. Have heard of the book/movie. Not the author. Chandrapore is a fictional Indian city.
47A. Classic Italian "farewell" song: ARRIVEDERCI ROMA. Ah, I've linked this song or some other version a few times when ROMA appeared as a fill. Arrivederci (ahr-ree-ve-DER-chee) = Au revoir.
63A. Two-part drama that won two Best Play Tonys and a Best Miniseries Emmy: ANGELS IN AMERICA. Was unaware of the specific awards it garnered.
A-FRAME is a house shaped like letter A, or inverted V. I learned this term last time when Argyle linked an A-FRAME coop picture. He said it helps protect those chickens in the nighttime. Very clever unifying answer.
Smooth sailing. Was familiar with all the four 15-letter theme answers. Rare for me.
Across:
8. Check signers: PAYERS. You don't find a checkbook in a common Chinese household. We jumped from cash transactions directly to debit/credit card.
14. 1950 Edmond O'Brien suspense classic: DOA. Got the answer from crossings. Looks scary.
15. Sliding __: DOOR. Kind of related to the A-FRAME theme.
16. Hide out: LIE LOW. That's exactly what Kanye West has been doing, lying low, after the Taylor Swift incident.
21. Sly: FOXY
25. "Was __ hard on him?"I TOO
36. Washroom, briefly: LAV (Lavatory). WC in China.
42. Point to pick: NIT. Wait for Jazzbumpa to comment.
43. Sam of "The Piano": NEILL. Wanted O'NEIL. Sam NEILL is a Kiwi.
45. Dapper guy?: DAN. John Gotti's nickname is "The Dapper Don".
46. __ about: approximately: ON OR
53. Loud crowd noise: ROAR. Did you hear the roar at the Metrodom? What an unbelievable game! Twins seem to suffer an Inferiority Complex when facing the Yankees though. In Lemonade's words, they are "choke artists destined to fade away into Yankee oblivion".
56. Community service org.: YMCA. Founded in 1844.
59. Popeye's creator: SEGAR (E. C.). No idea. Obtained his name from crosses again. Had S?GAR, then I thought of SUGAR first.
66. Freezing period: ICE AGE
68. Acne spot: ZIT
69. Clinton press secretary Myers: DEE DEE. The first woman to serve as White House Press Secretary.
Down:
3. Diplomat's forte: TACT. Well, obviously John Bolton does not have this attribute.
4. Has a crush on: ADORES
5. NYC's Bronx, e.g.: BOR (Borough)
7. Thus, to a logician: ERGO. Latin for "therefore", as in "Cogito, ERGO sum" (I think, therefore I am).
8. __ win: go all out: PLAY TO
9. Afflict: AIL. What had been ailing the Tigers? Unprecedented collapse! My husband really likes Miguel Cabrera.
10. Beginning of time, figuratively: YEAR ONE. "Figuratively" confused me a bit.
11. Film lioness: ELSA. From"Born Free".
12. Korean soldiers: ROKS. The soldiers in the ROK (Republic of Korea/South Korea)
13. Trade: SWAP. And PLIER (28D. One with a trade). Nice "trade" clue echo.
18. "Steppenwolf" writer Hermann: HESSE. Nobel Literature winner (1946).
19. Way off the turnpike: EXIT
27. Health Net rival: AETNA. Not familiar with Health Net. We have UnitedHealthcare here.
29. Moving about: ASTIR
30. Needle-toothed fish: GAR
31. Give the slip: EVADE. Just learned the idiom "Give the slip" a few months ago.
32. "Hawaii Five-O" nickname: DANNO. "Book 'em, DANNO!"
33. Figure of speech: IDIOM. They are not interchangeable to me. TROPE, yes.
34. Stars, in Latin: ASTRA. Have not seen the French star étoile for a while.
39. Thomas __ Edison: ALVA. An A-FRAME word too.
40. Scuff or scratch: MAR. Alliteration.
44. Interpret via mouth movements: LIPREAD. "Read my lip: no new taxes", coined by Peggy Noonan.
46. Neatness: ORDER
48. Paris palace: ELYSEE. ELYSEE Palace is the French "White House".
50. Maps within maps: INSETS
53. Vice squad action: RAID
55. "The African Queen" co-screenwriter: AGEE (James). Co-written with John Houston.
57. "The Suze Orman Show" channel: CNBC. Suze Orman looks very intimidating.
58. 50-and-over org.: AARP
60. City near the Sphinx: GIZA. Near the Great Pyramids too. On the Nile.
61. Word before rain or rock: ACID
65. Goat's cry: MAA. Ah, missed an opportunity to weave with CALF (24D: Young cow). CALF maa too.
Answer grid.
C.C.
