Theme: Miss Mid-ler's Favorite Things
20A: Social butterfly's flower pot?: MINGLER'S VASE (Ming Vase)
36A: Breakfast for a cuddly person?: NESTLER'S EGG (Nest Egg)
43A: Adam's tavern?: SANDLER'S BAR (Sandbar)
57A: Old West outlaw's accessory?: RUSTLER'S BELT (Rust Belt)
If you have a better theme title, please come to the Comments section.
I've never understood the western fascination with certain Ming vases. Some can fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. NESTLER'S EGG is my favorite theme entry. I just learned the other day that water is also called "Adam's Ale", so I was thinking of the Biblical Adam. Adam SANDLER did not even come across my mind. RUSTLER as "cattle thief" is new to me.
Since I've been in a tie-in/pair-up/cross-referenced clues mood lately, the following clues caught my eyes immediately:
14A: End of a dash: TAPE. And KNEE (42A: End of a lap).
61A: Practice for the main event: SPAR. And ARENA (64A: Main event venue). Nice sequential order.
11D: Parisian Mrs.: MME (Madame). And SRA (61D: Arg. title).
37D: Some attys.' degrees: LLBS (Latin Legum Baccalaureus, Bachelor of Laws). And LSATS ( 51D: Hurdles for seekers of 37-Down). Both in plural form.
To me, the above clues are exhibitive of the constructor's complete awareness of all the answers he puts into his grid. And they show his effort in bringing a cohesiveness to several sets of his clues. I really like that.
I had better luck with Mike Peluso's "Galary" puzzle last time. Struggled today. Fell victim to his tricky clues.
Across:
1A: Jack-in-the-pulpit family: ARUM. Look at the little guy under the leaf-hood. Can you believe he turns into a she after 2 years?
5A: __ nova: BOSSA. The dance in the 1960s.
10A: Like most radios: AM/FM
15A: Adidas founder Dassler: ADOLF. No idea. Wikipedia says both he and his brother Rudolf joined Nazi Party in the 1930s.
16A: Barrie pirate: SMEE. Of "Peter Pan". Often clued as "Captain Hook's cohort". Johnny Depp's "Finding Neverland" is about Barrie.
17A: Took too much: ODED
18A: Damage badly: TOTAL
19A: Gadgets used in drivers' education?: TEES. Golf. You can't fool me.
23A: Exodus landmark: SINAI
24A: Sacred Egyptian symbols: SCARABS. The sacred beetle, symbol of soul. I could only think of ASPS. They were sacred to the Egyptians also, right?
28A: Puzzle page feature: REBUS
32A: "A Man and a Woman" actress: AIMEE (Anouk). Have heard of the movie. Did not know who were the stars though.
33A: Accent in the pantry?: MSG. I don't understand the clue. Why "Accent"? Chinese dumplings are tastier with a tiny bit of MSG.
39A: Slurpee alternative: ICEE. Have never had either of them. Water & tea, that's all I drink.
41A: What matters: BE ALL. Can you give me an example? I've never heard of BE ALL.
46A: Bering, e.g.: Abbr.: STR (Strait). I wrote down SEA immediately. Totally oblivious of the Abbr. hint.
47A: Nobelist Root: ELIHU. He won 1912 Nobel Peace in 1912. Another ELIHU is the founder of Yale, ELIHU Yale.
48A: Keys: ISLES. Are they really the same?
50A: Manufacturers' headaches: RECALLS. Way overboard with those toy RECALLS.
53A: Copies, briefly: DUPES
65A: Aged wheel?: BRIE. The cheese is shaped like a wheel. Wicked clue.
66A: Mortgage holder's offer, for short: REFI (Refinance). Not a familiar abbreviation to me.
67A: Pick-me-up: TONIC
68A: Artist's pseudonym formed from the French pronunciation of his initials: ERTE. His original name is Romain de Rirtoff. ERTE is the French pronunciation of his initials R.T.
69A: It follows the last Gospel: ACTS
70A: One in black suit: SPADE. The card. I was picturing a secret agent.
71A: Not natural: DYED. Oh, hair. Are these natural? I mean, her boobs.
Down:
1A: Energy sources: ATOMS
2D: Spokes, say: RADII
3D: Southernmost Ivy League sch.: UPENN. OK, of all the IVY Leagues schools, it's indeed the southernmost.
4D: Civil rights activist Evers: MEDGAR. No idea. Have never heard of this guy.
5D: Decrease: BATE. What's the difference between BATE and abate?
6D: It might be a clue: ODOR. I would have got the answer immediately if I were a dog.
7D: Frequent reelers: SOTS. They TOPE.
8D: Serbs and Croats: SLAVS
9D: Company with fowl-mouthed ads?: AFLAC
10D: Little star: ASTERISK. Want a nice little star in front of your record, Roger Clemens?
13D: Julio, por ejemplo: MES. Spanish for months. Julio is July, not Julio the singer or any guy's name.
21D: Bank holding: LIEN
22D: German coal region: SAAR. Lower left. I forgot. Could only think of RUHR.
25D: Answers from a flock: AMENS. Nice play on "flock".
26D: Sire: BEGET
27D: Rock Bob with the Silver Bullet band: SEGER. Oh, I did not know his band name. Somehow I thought he is the singer for the double entendres-filled "Sledgehammer".
31D: East German secret police: STASI. I just can't remember this secret STASI. Maybe I need to see "The Lives of Others", which is about the STASI (short for Staatssicherheit, German for "State Security").
33D: Philanthropist's antithesis: MISER. Really? Not recession?
34D: Do to do: SCALE. I like this clue.
35D: Photo finish?: GENIC. Photogenic. I want MATTE.
38D: Matmid Frequent Flyer Club airline: EL AL. Easy guess. Four letter airline, what else could it be? Matmid is "is a shortcut of the old name - "Hanose'aa Hamatmid- which means - the constant (or persistent) traveller. Matmid itself is a verb for persistent behaviour", according to this source.
40D: "Apollo 13" costar: ED HARRIS. Could only think of Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon. I did like ED HARRIS in "Stepmom".
44D: Corker: LULU. Did not know slangy meaning of "corker".
45D: Sommelier's array: REDS. Sommelier is new to me.
49D: Filled in: SUBBED
52D: Sharpen: STROP. I really liked the STROP clue ("Work on the cutting edge?) last time.
54D: Designer Ellis: PERRY
56D: Mount: STEED. By the way, can you call a woman a stud? Lance Armstrong described ex-wife as a stud in his biography.
58D: Yakutsk's river: LENA. No idea. It's in Siberia. See Yakutsk? It's to the right of SAKHA, along the LENA River.
59D: City west of Tulsa: ENID. What is ENID famous for?
60D: Beat fast: RACE. Hmm, I think red hot chili peppers can make some guy's heart "Beat fast". No? In case you wonder, the girl is Maggie Q (Quigley), a huge star in Asia.
62D: Chest muscle: PEC. I don't want chest muscle. Just want a smaller waist.
63D: Near the tail: AFT. Boat?
Answer grid.
C.C.
20A: Social butterfly's flower pot?: MINGLER'S VASE (Ming Vase)
36A: Breakfast for a cuddly person?: NESTLER'S EGG (Nest Egg)
43A: Adam's tavern?: SANDLER'S BAR (Sandbar)
57A: Old West outlaw's accessory?: RUSTLER'S BELT (Rust Belt)
If you have a better theme title, please come to the Comments section.
I've never understood the western fascination with certain Ming vases. Some can fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. NESTLER'S EGG is my favorite theme entry. I just learned the other day that water is also called "Adam's Ale", so I was thinking of the Biblical Adam. Adam SANDLER did not even come across my mind. RUSTLER as "cattle thief" is new to me.
Since I've been in a tie-in/pair-up/cross-referenced clues mood lately, the following clues caught my eyes immediately:
14A: End of a dash: TAPE. And KNEE (42A: End of a lap).
61A: Practice for the main event: SPAR. And ARENA (64A: Main event venue). Nice sequential order.
11D: Parisian Mrs.: MME (Madame). And SRA (61D: Arg. title).
37D: Some attys.' degrees: LLBS (Latin Legum Baccalaureus, Bachelor of Laws). And LSATS ( 51D: Hurdles for seekers of 37-Down). Both in plural form.
To me, the above clues are exhibitive of the constructor's complete awareness of all the answers he puts into his grid. And they show his effort in bringing a cohesiveness to several sets of his clues. I really like that.
I had better luck with Mike Peluso's "Galary" puzzle last time. Struggled today. Fell victim to his tricky clues.
Across:
1A: Jack-in-the-pulpit family: ARUM. Look at the little guy under the leaf-hood. Can you believe he turns into a she after 2 years?
5A: __ nova: BOSSA. The dance in the 1960s.
10A: Like most radios: AM/FM
15A: Adidas founder Dassler: ADOLF. No idea. Wikipedia says both he and his brother Rudolf joined Nazi Party in the 1930s.
16A: Barrie pirate: SMEE. Of "Peter Pan". Often clued as "Captain Hook's cohort". Johnny Depp's "Finding Neverland" is about Barrie.
17A: Took too much: ODED
18A: Damage badly: TOTAL
19A: Gadgets used in drivers' education?: TEES. Golf. You can't fool me.
23A: Exodus landmark: SINAI
24A: Sacred Egyptian symbols: SCARABS. The sacred beetle, symbol of soul. I could only think of ASPS. They were sacred to the Egyptians also, right?
28A: Puzzle page feature: REBUS
32A: "A Man and a Woman" actress: AIMEE (Anouk). Have heard of the movie. Did not know who were the stars though.
33A: Accent in the pantry?: MSG. I don't understand the clue. Why "Accent"? Chinese dumplings are tastier with a tiny bit of MSG.
39A: Slurpee alternative: ICEE. Have never had either of them. Water & tea, that's all I drink.
41A: What matters: BE ALL. Can you give me an example? I've never heard of BE ALL.
46A: Bering, e.g.: Abbr.: STR (Strait). I wrote down SEA immediately. Totally oblivious of the Abbr. hint.
47A: Nobelist Root: ELIHU. He won 1912 Nobel Peace in 1912. Another ELIHU is the founder of Yale, ELIHU Yale.
48A: Keys: ISLES. Are they really the same?
50A: Manufacturers' headaches: RECALLS. Way overboard with those toy RECALLS.
53A: Copies, briefly: DUPES
65A: Aged wheel?: BRIE. The cheese is shaped like a wheel. Wicked clue.
66A: Mortgage holder's offer, for short: REFI (Refinance). Not a familiar abbreviation to me.
67A: Pick-me-up: TONIC
68A: Artist's pseudonym formed from the French pronunciation of his initials: ERTE. His original name is Romain de Rirtoff. ERTE is the French pronunciation of his initials R.T.
69A: It follows the last Gospel: ACTS
70A: One in black suit: SPADE. The card. I was picturing a secret agent.
71A: Not natural: DYED. Oh, hair. Are these natural? I mean, her boobs.
Down:
1A: Energy sources: ATOMS
2D: Spokes, say: RADII
3D: Southernmost Ivy League sch.: UPENN. OK, of all the IVY Leagues schools, it's indeed the southernmost.
4D: Civil rights activist Evers: MEDGAR. No idea. Have never heard of this guy.
5D: Decrease: BATE. What's the difference between BATE and abate?
6D: It might be a clue: ODOR. I would have got the answer immediately if I were a dog.
7D: Frequent reelers: SOTS. They TOPE.
8D: Serbs and Croats: SLAVS
9D: Company with fowl-mouthed ads?: AFLAC
10D: Little star: ASTERISK. Want a nice little star in front of your record, Roger Clemens?
13D: Julio, por ejemplo: MES. Spanish for months. Julio is July, not Julio the singer or any guy's name.
21D: Bank holding: LIEN
22D: German coal region: SAAR. Lower left. I forgot. Could only think of RUHR.
25D: Answers from a flock: AMENS. Nice play on "flock".
26D: Sire: BEGET
27D: Rock Bob with the Silver Bullet band: SEGER. Oh, I did not know his band name. Somehow I thought he is the singer for the double entendres-filled "Sledgehammer".
31D: East German secret police: STASI. I just can't remember this secret STASI. Maybe I need to see "The Lives of Others", which is about the STASI (short for Staatssicherheit, German for "State Security").
33D: Philanthropist's antithesis: MISER. Really? Not recession?
34D: Do to do: SCALE. I like this clue.
35D: Photo finish?: GENIC. Photogenic. I want MATTE.
38D: Matmid Frequent Flyer Club airline: EL AL. Easy guess. Four letter airline, what else could it be? Matmid is "is a shortcut of the old name - "Hanose'aa Hamatmid- which means - the constant (or persistent) traveller. Matmid itself is a verb for persistent behaviour", according to this source.
40D: "Apollo 13" costar: ED HARRIS. Could only think of Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon. I did like ED HARRIS in "Stepmom".
44D: Corker: LULU. Did not know slangy meaning of "corker".
45D: Sommelier's array: REDS. Sommelier is new to me.
49D: Filled in: SUBBED
52D: Sharpen: STROP. I really liked the STROP clue ("Work on the cutting edge?) last time.
54D: Designer Ellis: PERRY
56D: Mount: STEED. By the way, can you call a woman a stud? Lance Armstrong described ex-wife as a stud in his biography.
58D: Yakutsk's river: LENA. No idea. It's in Siberia. See Yakutsk? It's to the right of SAKHA, along the LENA River.
59D: City west of Tulsa: ENID. What is ENID famous for?
60D: Beat fast: RACE. Hmm, I think red hot chili peppers can make some guy's heart "Beat fast". No? In case you wonder, the girl is Maggie Q (Quigley), a huge star in Asia.
62D: Chest muscle: PEC. I don't want chest muscle. Just want a smaller waist.
63D: Near the tail: AFT. Boat?
Answer grid.
C.C.
