Theme: PAIRS
17A: Cell mates?: Partners in Crime
35A: Nest mates?: Birds of a Feather
53A: Bench mates?: Second Stringers
Do you guys ever read the Comments part of my blog? At the end of my daily blog entry, you will see the word Comments (see the signs of an envelop and a pen?). Just click on it and comment on. Let us share your miseries/glees!
You will also find the word Labels. Click on the name of the constructor, you will get all his works since I started blogging (Jan 21, 2008). Tribune Media seems to have a very small pool of constructors, don't you think so? Or you never pay attention to who the author is?
It's another bumpy ride for me today. I was jolted by quite a few unknown words/names. Sea cows (5D: MANATEES) was hard, making it difficult for me to to infer 23A: Mikita of Hockey (STAN), whom I never heard of. 37D: Amazon snake (ANACONDA) was also too formidable for me to give a whack. I did get its parallel clue 36D: Poisonous shrub (OLEANDER), though I never heard of the shrub.
Across clues:
1A: Ricochet: CAROM. Often clued as pool shot.
2A: Charity: ALMS
18A: Clothing lines: HEMS
14A: "Butterfield 8" author: O'HARA (John). He wrote honestly and well, indeed.
15A: Minute skin opening: PORE
16A:Latin Lesson word: AMAT (Latin: she/he/it loves). See yesterday's puzzle.
21A: Heaps: A LOT
22A: Petty dictator: SATRAP. I had difficulty understanding the clue. A dictator always has absolute power, petty ones never make it to the dictatorship, no?
According to my dictionary, SATRAP is originally "the governor of a province in ancient Persia". Now it mean a ruler of a dependency, esp a despotic, subordinate official, petty tyrant.
23A: Mikita of hockey: STAN. Maybe he is a gimme for hockey fans. I just found out that Mr. Anderson clued STAN as Comic Laurel in his Feb 13 puzzle.
24A: Adjutant: AIDE
25A: New York island: STATEN. Did not know this. Never been to NY. All my understanding of NY is from either Law and Order, or NYPD Blues.
28A: Flows back: EBBS
29A: Spigot: TAP
32A: Debate: ARGUE
33A: Shrinking Asian sea: ARAL. You want to cement this one in your brain? Then look at this map.
34A: Overfill: SATE
38A: Cockney abodes: 'OMES (Homes). Cockneys live in the East of London. In their accent, letter "h" is dropped.
39A: Tilt, at sea: LIST
40A: Hangman's knot: NOOSE.
41A: Half a fly?: TSE
42A: Richard of "Chicago": GERE
43A: Editorial symbols: CARETS
44A: Scottish hillside: BRAE
45A: Stunning stuff: MACE. I like this clue. I was thinking of those Shock & Awe feat.
46A: Lenin's successor: STALIN
49A: Han or Napoleon: SOLO. Han Solo is from Star War, Napoleon Solo is from The Man from U. N. C. L. E.
50A: Louvre Pyramid architect: PEI ( I. M. Pei). He also designed the JFK Library.
56A: Arduous journey: TREK
57A: Pointless Olympic event?: EPEE. I like the clue, a refreshing change.
58A: ___ macabre: DANSE. Dance of Death. I don't like to be reminded of how fragile life is.
59A: Debate faction: SIDE
60A: Ewes' mates: RAMS
61A: Lessen: ABATE
Down entries:
1D: Manilow's nightclub: COPA. Copa Cabana.
2D: Moby Dick's pursuer: AHAB
4D: Table scrap: ORT
5D: Sea cows: MANTATEES. Here is an image for you to remember. They are huge.
6D: Cook's coverage: APRON. Coverage, not cover? I was initially thinking of the explorer James Cook and his coastal coverage.
7D: Among the missing: LOST
8D: Med. scan: MRI
9D: Level-headed: SENSIBLE
10D: "The Lost Galleon" poet: HARTE (Bret). Got his name from across clues.
11D: Bahrain leader: EMIR. I had a friend (a Brit) who lived in Bahrain for a few years in the early 1990s, then he converted into a Muslim. Unbelievable.
12D: Doll's cry: MAMA
18D: Zeal: ELAN
19A: Scoundrels: CADS
24A: Sternward: ABAFT. I put Aback.
25D: Wooden shoe: SABOT. Wooden clog shoe, French call it SABOT.
26D: removes the excess: TRIMS
27D: Come to terms: AGREE
29D: Western resort lake: TAHOE
30D: Bikini event, in headlines: A TEST. Atomic Test, 1945, Bikini Atoll.
31D: Pops in Paris: PERES
36D: Poisonous shrubs: OLEANDER. It's so pretty.
42D: Wide smile: GRIN. I am going to give Bush a rest today.
43D: Colombian city: CALI. Looks like a good place to go if kidnapping is not a problem.
44D: Chap in Soho: BLOKE
45D: Social customs: MORES
47D: Actress Garr: TERI
50D: Catcher Tony: PENA. Gimme for me. He used to be Kansas Royal's coach.
51D: Once, once: ERST
55D: Chew the fat: GAB
Note to reader rosebud: Any subtle crossings today?
C. C.
