Theme: None
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 36
Barry anchors his puzzle with three 15-letter Across entries right in the middle of the grid, and intersects them with another two 15 Down grid spanners:
34A. Minor league team with a locomotive in one of its logos: READING PHILLIES. Phillies' AA affiliate based in Reading, PA. Here is their logo. Unknown to me. You can always find some Phillies' reference in Barry's puzzles.
38A. He played Will Scarlet in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves": CHRISTIAN SLATER. Saw the movie. But all I can remember is Kevin Costner.
39. New England setting: EASTERN TIME ZONE. And BOOLA (47. New England cheer word). Boola Boola. Yale's fight song. Nice New England echo.
5D. Someone to build a team around: FRANCHISE PLAYER. Like Twins' Joe Mauer.
10D. Runway displays: FALL COLLECTIONS. Loved this entry.
There are also 16 7-letter entries, including those triple stacks in each corner.
Across:
1. Move to new places?: SHUFFLE. Move the play cards to new places. Got me.
8. Exotic vacations: SAFARIS. A happy fill for JD who just safaried last year.
15. Bird known for hovering in a headwind: KESTREL. Hence nickname windhover. Hovering directly above IRELAND (17. Bunratty Castle site). A shout-out to Windhover and his wife Irish. I am not familiar with Bunratty Castle.
16. Like some birthstones: OPALINE
18. Source of relief?: BULLPEN. Relief pitchers.
19. Best Actress winner for "Two Women": LOREN (Sophia)
20. Wagner's father-in-law: LISZT
21. Look at, to Livy: ECCE. As in "Ecce Homo", "Behold the Man".
24. Suffix with fluor-: ESCE. Fluoresce.
26. 1930s Kansas governor Landon: ALF. I only knew him as the guy who ran against F.D.R. in 1936.
29. Cupcake: HON
30. Racer Fabi: TEO. Former Formula One racer. Waiting for more lessons from our racing expert EddyB.
31. Entrepreneur-aiding org.: SBA (Small Business Administration)
40. Soft & __: Dial product: DRI
41. "MS. Found in a Bottle" author: POE. I guessed.
42. Pres. title: CIC (Commander in Chief)
43. Nancy Drew's boyfriend: NED. Another guess. I've never read any Nancy Drew story.
44. Problems: ILLS
45. Where some "SNL" regulars got their start: SCTV. Second City Television. Unknown to me.
50. Child's retort: I AM SO
54. Seek acceptance at: APPLY TO
57. Mexican salamander: AXOLOTL. Stumper. Strange looking word. Strange looking too. Does it live in the water only?
59. "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was their first U.S. hit in 1967: BEE GEES. The answer emerged itself.
60. Like some academic positions: TENURED
61. They aren't on the program: ENCORES. Didn't come to me readily.
62. Gives in: ASSENTS
Down:
1. Black & Decker competitor: SKIL. I forgot this tool brand again.
2. Long lunch?: HERO. Nailed it.
3. Beta tester, e.g.: USER
4. Army post named for a CSA general: FT. LEE. In Virginia. I just found out that there's another Ft. Lee in New Jersey.
6. Author Deighton: LEN
7. "We '__ our bloomin' own": Kipling: 'ELD. Held?
8. ___ sister: SOB
9. "The Simpsons" shopkeeper: APU. Learned from doing Xword.
11. Divorcée Lowell in an '80s sitcom: ALLIE. From "Kate & Allie".
12. Tough currents: RIPS. New definition to me.
13. Spanish name meaning "chaste": INEZ. I mentioned this trivia on the blog before.
14. Elated: SENT. I know Argyle will link "You send me".
22. Restraint: CONTROL
23. Locomotives: ENGINES
24. Cultural group members: ETHNICS
25. Like many tsunamis: SEISMIC. Great C-ending word.
26. Like rainbows: ARCED
27. Operettist Franz: LEHAR. Famous for "The Merry Widow". Hungarian composer.
28. Modern Persian: FARSI
31. Squelch: SIT ON. The bad news.
32. Designer Geoffrey: BEENE. First encounter with this fellow.
33. Comparable to a beet: AS RED
35. Morse "E": DIT
36. Light hit: PAT
37. __-Boy recliner: LAZ
44. Volunteer's words: I'LL GO
46. Prize: VALUE
47. Symbol of innocence: BABE
48. Exposed: OPEN
49. Nigeria is its most populous member: OPEC. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa.
51. Poetic period: MORN
52. Go back on the dele?: STET. "Don't change".
53. Defunct GM line: OLDS
55. Beginning of Time?: TEE. The beginning letter of Time. Why capitalized Time?
56. Org. in the 1946 film "Cloak and Dagger": OSS. Forerunner to C.I.A..
58. Strikes (out): X'ES
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 36
Barry anchors his puzzle with three 15-letter Across entries right in the middle of the grid, and intersects them with another two 15 Down grid spanners:
34A. Minor league team with a locomotive in one of its logos: READING PHILLIES. Phillies' AA affiliate based in Reading, PA. Here is their logo. Unknown to me. You can always find some Phillies' reference in Barry's puzzles.
38A. He played Will Scarlet in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves": CHRISTIAN SLATER. Saw the movie. But all I can remember is Kevin Costner.
39. New England setting: EASTERN TIME ZONE. And BOOLA (47. New England cheer word). Boola Boola. Yale's fight song. Nice New England echo.
5D. Someone to build a team around: FRANCHISE PLAYER. Like Twins' Joe Mauer.
10D. Runway displays: FALL COLLECTIONS. Loved this entry.
There are also 16 7-letter entries, including those triple stacks in each corner.
Across:
1. Move to new places?: SHUFFLE. Move the play cards to new places. Got me.
8. Exotic vacations: SAFARIS. A happy fill for JD who just safaried last year.
15. Bird known for hovering in a headwind: KESTREL. Hence nickname windhover. Hovering directly above IRELAND (17. Bunratty Castle site). A shout-out to Windhover and his wife Irish. I am not familiar with Bunratty Castle.
16. Like some birthstones: OPALINE
18. Source of relief?: BULLPEN. Relief pitchers.
19. Best Actress winner for "Two Women": LOREN (Sophia)
20. Wagner's father-in-law: LISZT
21. Look at, to Livy: ECCE. As in "Ecce Homo", "Behold the Man".
24. Suffix with fluor-: ESCE. Fluoresce.
26. 1930s Kansas governor Landon: ALF. I only knew him as the guy who ran against F.D.R. in 1936.
29. Cupcake: HON
30. Racer Fabi: TEO. Former Formula One racer. Waiting for more lessons from our racing expert EddyB.
31. Entrepreneur-aiding org.: SBA (Small Business Administration)
40. Soft & __: Dial product: DRI
41. "MS. Found in a Bottle" author: POE. I guessed.
42. Pres. title: CIC (Commander in Chief)
43. Nancy Drew's boyfriend: NED. Another guess. I've never read any Nancy Drew story.
44. Problems: ILLS
45. Where some "SNL" regulars got their start: SCTV. Second City Television. Unknown to me.
50. Child's retort: I AM SO
54. Seek acceptance at: APPLY TO
57. Mexican salamander: AXOLOTL. Stumper. Strange looking word. Strange looking too. Does it live in the water only?
59. "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was their first U.S. hit in 1967: BEE GEES. The answer emerged itself.
60. Like some academic positions: TENURED
61. They aren't on the program: ENCORES. Didn't come to me readily.
62. Gives in: ASSENTS
Down:
1. Black & Decker competitor: SKIL. I forgot this tool brand again.
2. Long lunch?: HERO. Nailed it.
3. Beta tester, e.g.: USER
4. Army post named for a CSA general: FT. LEE. In Virginia. I just found out that there's another Ft. Lee in New Jersey.
6. Author Deighton: LEN
7. "We '__ our bloomin' own": Kipling: 'ELD. Held?
8. ___ sister: SOB
9. "The Simpsons" shopkeeper: APU. Learned from doing Xword.
11. Divorcée Lowell in an '80s sitcom: ALLIE. From "Kate & Allie".
12. Tough currents: RIPS. New definition to me.
13. Spanish name meaning "chaste": INEZ. I mentioned this trivia on the blog before.
14. Elated: SENT. I know Argyle will link "You send me".
22. Restraint: CONTROL
23. Locomotives: ENGINES
24. Cultural group members: ETHNICS
25. Like many tsunamis: SEISMIC. Great C-ending word.
26. Like rainbows: ARCED
27. Operettist Franz: LEHAR. Famous for "The Merry Widow". Hungarian composer.
28. Modern Persian: FARSI
31. Squelch: SIT ON. The bad news.
32. Designer Geoffrey: BEENE. First encounter with this fellow.
33. Comparable to a beet: AS RED
35. Morse "E": DIT
36. Light hit: PAT
37. __-Boy recliner: LAZ
44. Volunteer's words: I'LL GO
46. Prize: VALUE
47. Symbol of innocence: BABE
48. Exposed: OPEN
49. Nigeria is its most populous member: OPEC. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa.
51. Poetic period: MORN
52. Go back on the dele?: STET. "Don't change".
53. Defunct GM line: OLDS
55. Beginning of Time?: TEE. The beginning letter of Time. Why capitalized Time?
56. Org. in the 1946 film "Cloak and Dagger": OSS. Forerunner to C.I.A..
58. Strikes (out): X'ES
Answer grid.
C.C.
