Theme: And Keep the Wolf (from the door)
20A: Talk aimlessly: SHOOT THE BULL
31A: Blame someone else: PASS THE BUCK
41A: Dress to impress: PUT ON THE DOG
55A: Pass its peak, slangily, as a TV series: JUMP THE SHARK
I hope I got the theme right. They all seem to be idioms consisting of verb + the + animal name. I've never heard of PUT ON THE DOG. It's the only theme entry with a verb phrase.
Is PUT ON a basketball term as well? SHOOT, PASS & JUMP are.
I can't think of another verb + the + animal name common saying, can you? Wikipedia does "Hold the horses" is an alternative of "Hold your horses" though.
Shouldn't the SOOT clue (47A: chimney sweep's sweepings) be in singular form?
Felt today's puzzle is easier than yesterday's.
Across:
9A: Succeed: GO FAR. Multiple word answer still gives me trouble.
14A: Widespread: RIFE. Always clued as "Teeming (with)" in our old puzzle.
15A: Made fun of, in a way: APED. Only in crossword.
16A: Prefix meaning "vinegar": ACETO. Dictionary gives acetometer as an example. It's an instrument for measuring the amount of acetic acid present in a solution. I wanted acid? something. The bitter word ACRID is rooted in acid.
17A: Where the steeple is, vis-a-vis the church: ATOP. This simple word stumped me, as I had CRUDE rather than CRASS for 1D: Boorish.
18A: Composer Édouard: LALO. Got his name from the down fills. Found out that LALO is boy name meaning "To sing a lullaby". No wonder this guy was a composer.
19A: In-your-face challenge: SUE ME. Intersects FEE (11D: Lawyer's charge).
24A: Opposite of "All rise": BE SEATED
28A: Snowfall unit: INCH. One blank short for my FLAKE. I like the clue. "Rainfall unit" too.
30A: Ex-quarterback Dan: MARINO. Learned this guy's name from the Nutrisystem weight loss commercial. Oh, Wikipedia says he spent his whole career with the Dolphins, holding or having holding all kinds of records. Is MARINO pronounced the same as the sheep merino?
37A: MD's calendar listing: APPT
38A: Traveler's choice: AIR. Not BY AIR?
39A: Fluids in shots: SERA. Reminds me of Swine Flu. I suppose there is no such epidemic in those Arab countries?
40A: Brazilian port: RIO. Do you think the Brazil supermodel Adriana Lima is beautiful?
45A: Space along the page border: MARGIN
48A: Old things: ANTIQUES. Have to be at least 100 years old. Between 20 to 100, they are called vintage I think.
57A: Margaret Mead subject: SAMOA. I forgot who Margaret MEAD is. It's clued as "Mead's milieu" in Argyle's puzzle. She wrote "Coming of Age in SAMOA". Those girls remind me of Bloody Mary of "South Pacific".
66A: Where Homer drinks Duff Beer: MOE'S. Learned this name from doing Xword.
67A: Insect repellent ingredient: DEET. Oh, it actually stands for DT (Diethyl Toluamide). I did not know that.
Down:
2D: Supple: LITHE. Thought of limber.
3D: What the game is, to Holmes: AFOOT. No idea. "The game is AFOOT" originally came from Shakespeare's "King Henry IV".
4D: One hiring relatives: NEPOTIST. Had difficulty obtaining this word. I actually knew the meaning of nepotism.
5D: Pasadena science institute, familiarly: CALTECH
6D: Colorful fish: OPAH. Also called moonfish.
7D: Fanzine focus: CELEB. This word appears so often in Xword. Have only seen CALEB the Biblical spy once.
8D: Hacienda brick: ADOBE. You won't find ADOBE in tropical area, right? Since they are built of clay.
9D: Dangerous pipe problem: GAS LEAK. I was thinking of water pipe.
10D: Of the eye: OCULAR. Got it with adjacent help.
12D: Place to get bucks fast, briefly: ATM. Good clue.
22D: "Semper fi" military org.: USMC. Once a Marine, Always a Marine. I read somewhere that Army actually has the best equipment.
26A: Año starter: ENERO. Had no idea that ano and año are vastly different.
27D: Rapper's cap: DO-RAG. Learned from doing Xword as well. Wikipedia says a popular folk etymology claims that the term derives from Drive-On RAG, a term first used by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War to refer to amuslin bandage often used as a head covering.
29D: Oven output: HEAT. I was picturing fresh bread.
31D: Italian city known for its cheese: PARMA. Ham too.
32D: Like beehives: APIAN. Wanted HOLED.
33D: Baseball or golf: SPORTS. Is this clue written for me?
34D: Much of an obit: BIO
35D: Java holders: URNS. Thought of Java Island. Can Java be clued as "Jakarta holder"?
39D: Adjust for daylight saving time: SET AHEAD. No daylight saving time in China. We only have one time zone. Beijing Time is the standard time.
41D: Pleasingly pungent: PIQUANT. Ha ha, I filled in this word immediately and surprised that it's actually correct.
43D: Bullfighters: TOREROS. Same as matador, correct?
46D: Military action toys: G.I. JOES. Manufactured by Hasbro. The original 1964 figures must cost a lot of money now, like the original 1959 barbie.
49D: English Derby site: EPSOM. Why most of the major horse races are for 3-year-old?
50D: Dictator's aid: STENO
52D: Mexico meat: CARNE. Same root as carnal?
53D: Cliched: TRITE
54D: Shooting contest with traps: SKEET. Got the answer from across fills. I did not know what kind of equipment is involved in SKEET shooting. It's actually an Olympic event.
57D: "By the way...": SAY
Answer grid.
C.C.
20A: Talk aimlessly: SHOOT THE BULL
31A: Blame someone else: PASS THE BUCK
41A: Dress to impress: PUT ON THE DOG
55A: Pass its peak, slangily, as a TV series: JUMP THE SHARK
I hope I got the theme right. They all seem to be idioms consisting of verb + the + animal name. I've never heard of PUT ON THE DOG. It's the only theme entry with a verb phrase.
Is PUT ON a basketball term as well? SHOOT, PASS & JUMP are.
I can't think of another verb + the + animal name common saying, can you? Wikipedia does "Hold the horses" is an alternative of "Hold your horses" though.
Shouldn't the SOOT clue (47A: chimney sweep's sweepings) be in singular form?
Felt today's puzzle is easier than yesterday's.
Across:
9A: Succeed: GO FAR. Multiple word answer still gives me trouble.
14A: Widespread: RIFE. Always clued as "Teeming (with)" in our old puzzle.
15A: Made fun of, in a way: APED. Only in crossword.
16A: Prefix meaning "vinegar": ACETO. Dictionary gives acetometer as an example. It's an instrument for measuring the amount of acetic acid present in a solution. I wanted acid? something. The bitter word ACRID is rooted in acid.
17A: Where the steeple is, vis-a-vis the church: ATOP. This simple word stumped me, as I had CRUDE rather than CRASS for 1D: Boorish.
18A: Composer Édouard: LALO. Got his name from the down fills. Found out that LALO is boy name meaning "To sing a lullaby". No wonder this guy was a composer.
19A: In-your-face challenge: SUE ME. Intersects FEE (11D: Lawyer's charge).
24A: Opposite of "All rise": BE SEATED
28A: Snowfall unit: INCH. One blank short for my FLAKE. I like the clue. "Rainfall unit" too.
30A: Ex-quarterback Dan: MARINO. Learned this guy's name from the Nutrisystem weight loss commercial. Oh, Wikipedia says he spent his whole career with the Dolphins, holding or having holding all kinds of records. Is MARINO pronounced the same as the sheep merino?
37A: MD's calendar listing: APPT
38A: Traveler's choice: AIR. Not BY AIR?
39A: Fluids in shots: SERA. Reminds me of Swine Flu. I suppose there is no such epidemic in those Arab countries?
40A: Brazilian port: RIO. Do you think the Brazil supermodel Adriana Lima is beautiful?
45A: Space along the page border: MARGIN
48A: Old things: ANTIQUES. Have to be at least 100 years old. Between 20 to 100, they are called vintage I think.
57A: Margaret Mead subject: SAMOA. I forgot who Margaret MEAD is. It's clued as "Mead's milieu" in Argyle's puzzle. She wrote "Coming of Age in SAMOA". Those girls remind me of Bloody Mary of "South Pacific".
66A: Where Homer drinks Duff Beer: MOE'S. Learned this name from doing Xword.
67A: Insect repellent ingredient: DEET. Oh, it actually stands for DT (Diethyl Toluamide). I did not know that.
Down:
2D: Supple: LITHE. Thought of limber.
3D: What the game is, to Holmes: AFOOT. No idea. "The game is AFOOT" originally came from Shakespeare's "King Henry IV".
4D: One hiring relatives: NEPOTIST. Had difficulty obtaining this word. I actually knew the meaning of nepotism.
5D: Pasadena science institute, familiarly: CALTECH
6D: Colorful fish: OPAH. Also called moonfish.
7D: Fanzine focus: CELEB. This word appears so often in Xword. Have only seen CALEB the Biblical spy once.
8D: Hacienda brick: ADOBE. You won't find ADOBE in tropical area, right? Since they are built of clay.
9D: Dangerous pipe problem: GAS LEAK. I was thinking of water pipe.
10D: Of the eye: OCULAR. Got it with adjacent help.
12D: Place to get bucks fast, briefly: ATM. Good clue.
22D: "Semper fi" military org.: USMC. Once a Marine, Always a Marine. I read somewhere that Army actually has the best equipment.
26A: Año starter: ENERO. Had no idea that ano and año are vastly different.
27D: Rapper's cap: DO-RAG. Learned from doing Xword as well. Wikipedia says a popular folk etymology claims that the term derives from Drive-On RAG, a term first used by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War to refer to amuslin bandage often used as a head covering.
29D: Oven output: HEAT. I was picturing fresh bread.
31D: Italian city known for its cheese: PARMA. Ham too.
32D: Like beehives: APIAN. Wanted HOLED.
33D: Baseball or golf: SPORTS. Is this clue written for me?
34D: Much of an obit: BIO
35D: Java holders: URNS. Thought of Java Island. Can Java be clued as "Jakarta holder"?
39D: Adjust for daylight saving time: SET AHEAD. No daylight saving time in China. We only have one time zone. Beijing Time is the standard time.
41D: Pleasingly pungent: PIQUANT. Ha ha, I filled in this word immediately and surprised that it's actually correct.
43D: Bullfighters: TOREROS. Same as matador, correct?
46D: Military action toys: G.I. JOES. Manufactured by Hasbro. The original 1964 figures must cost a lot of money now, like the original 1959 barbie.
49D: English Derby site: EPSOM. Why most of the major horse races are for 3-year-old?
50D: Dictator's aid: STENO
52D: Mexico meat: CARNE. Same root as carnal?
53D: Cliched: TRITE
54D: Shooting contest with traps: SKEET. Got the answer from across fills. I did not know what kind of equipment is involved in SKEET shooting. It's actually an Olympic event.
57D: "By the way...": SAY
Answer grid.
C.C.
