Theme: Cervantes Shout-Out - all the theme answers are connected by the protagonist in Miguel's two-part classic novel "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha"
17A. 60-Across' noble status : KNIGHTHOOD. Possibly self-appointed though.
24A. 60-Across' home : LA MANCHA. "Somewhere in La Mancha in a place I do not care to remember ..."
49A. 60-Across' beloved : DULCINEA. "... her neck alabaster, her bosom marble, her hands ivory ..."
60A. Classic character whose exploits inspired the phrase in this puzzle's circles : DON QUIXOTE
Here he is doing that very thing:
Buenos dias! Jeffrey takes us on a literary tour with his theme, and nicely done. Four solid theme entries and a 15-letter diagonal grid-spanner gives the puzzle a nice structure. Two pairs of 9's in the downs underpin a really nice construction. I basically solved this in an anti-clockwise direction finishing up with HANES.
In a fun coincidence, Terry Gilliam, the ex-Monty Python actor and noted film director, announced on Tuesday that he had finally finished his Don Quixote movie, which was 17 years in the making and was such a disastrous production that the attempts to make it were themselves the subject of a documentary. Here's the full tale, courtesy of The Guardian newspaper.
Across:
1. Sting, essentially : TRAP.
5. Wingding : BASH. Or one of the symbols in the Wingdings font in Microsoft Word.
9. Word often improperly punctuated : ITS. Drives me nuts. It's, its. Use the mnemonic "It's an apostrophe" if you're not sure.
12. Small stream : RILL
13. Satellite radio giant : SIRIUS. It's actually SiriusXM. Not sure I like the clue.
15. "__ lied" : SO I
16. Jackie Robinson Stadium sch. team : UCLA. You can see the field from the 405 freeway in Westwood.
19. "Bother someone else!" : SCAT!
20. Footnote term : IDEM. "The same" to reference a previously-cited source.
21. Collagist's supply : PASTE. This didn't come easily. Pasting collage materials onto the work.
22. Musical impediment : TIN EAR
26. Well-suited : APT
27. "O god of battles! __ my soldiers' hearts": Henry V : STEEL. I tried STILL first, and then realized that's probably not what Henry would want to happen to his army.
28. Be obstreperous : ACT UP
31. White House section : WING
34. Bunch : SLEW
36. See 42-Down : D'OR. Just to annoy the cross-reference dislikers even more, this two-parter even comes out of order. I've never heard of the opera, but high school French lessons rendered the translation without any great effort.
37. Bringers of great relief : SAVIORS
40. Spanish pronoun : ESO
41. ESPN's Hershiser : OREL
43. Johnny who was the last pitcher to face Babe Ruth : SAIN. The Boston Braves didn't have much depth in pitching, hence "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain".
44. Catcher on the ranch : LASSO
46. Thinks : DEEMS
48. Racket : DIN
52. "Turn up the thermostat!" : I'M COLD!
56. Hunter on high : ORION. One of the more recognizable constellations.
57. Wolverine, for one : X-MAN
59. Hipbone prefix : ILIO-
62. Some annexes : ELLS
63. Santana's "__ Como Va" : OYE. First recorded by Tito Puente back in 1963. Carlos' version is the best known.
64. Hurries : SCOOTS
65. Khartoum waterway : NILE
66. Sautéing sound : SSS
67. Top 500? : INDY. Nice clue. King of the 500-lap races, the Indianapolis 500.
68. Hole starters : TEES
Down:
1. Many a charitable organization : TRUST
2. "The Addams Family" film actress : RICCI. Christina Ricci played Wednesday Addams.
3. Macabre fiction middle name : ALLAN. Edgar Poe.
4. Almost all of Tibet : PLATEAU. The bit of Tibet that isn't on the plateau is decidedly hilly. Or Himalayan, if you prefer.
5. Tight spot : BIND
6. Disney mermaid : ARIEL. I always hesitate deciding between an E and an A.
7. Summation symbol in math : SIGMA
8. "Come again?" : HUH?
9. Like some triangles : ISOSCELES. Took me a couple of cracks to spell this correctly.
10. Ineffective : TOOTHLESS. Dentist visit today. I hope I don't come back in this condition.
11. Record half : SIDE A
13. Part of a Girl Scout uniform : SKIRT. Really? Can't they wear shorts?
14. Mar. honoree : ST. PAT. St. Patrick more formally. NEVER St. Patty.
18. Playtex sister brand : HANES. News to me.
23. They run on cells : APPS. Cellphones. Tricky little clue.
25. Catholic title: Abbr. : MSGR. Monsignor. Big cheeses, but not as big cheeses as the cardinals or the Pope.
28. Fuss : ADO
29. Pants with texture : CORDUROYS. It's not from "Corde du Roi", contrary to popular opinion.
30. Natural boundaries : TREELINES
31. One of two states formed during the U.S. Civil War : W. VA. I didn't need crosses for this. Yay me!
32. Sundial marking : III. I never understand why VIII is allowed on clocks and sundials, because it breaks the roman numeral rules. It should be IIX.
33. Payment beginning? : NON-
35. Try to win : WOO
38. Gp. with common interests : ASSN.
39. Long, as odds : SLIM
42. With 36-Across, French title of a Rimsky-Korsakov opera that translates to "The Golden Rooster" : LE COQ. Here's a bottle of pineau, an aperitif from the Cognac region of France.
45. __ history : ANCIENT
47. Without : MINUS
48. Eats well : DINES
49. Extinct birds : DODOS
50. Half a 1999 gas merger : EXXON. Merged with Mobil. The deal was announced in 1998, but closed in 1999.
51. In __: sullen : A MOOD. What if you're in a good mood? Can't you be "in a mood" and happy?
53. Stan's partner : OLLIE
54. De Gaulle's birthplace : LILLE. Nice place, close to the Belgian border.
55. Prescription indications : DOSES
58. DOJ employee : ATTY.
61. Here, in Le Havre : ICI. Quite a bit of French today.
Fin. C'est tout, mes amis!
Étienne
Constructors include our puzzle master Jeffrey Jeffrey Wechsler, Christopher Adams, George Barany, Victor Barocas (also our editor), David Hanson, Andy Kravis, Mark McClain, Andrea Carla Michaels, David Liben-Nowell, Tom Pepper and Andrew J. Ries.
Jeffrey is flying to St. Paul again this year to help the tournament. Thank you so much, Jeffrey, you're the best!
17A. 60-Across' noble status : KNIGHTHOOD. Possibly self-appointed though.
24A. 60-Across' home : LA MANCHA. "Somewhere in La Mancha in a place I do not care to remember ..."
49A. 60-Across' beloved : DULCINEA. "... her neck alabaster, her bosom marble, her hands ivory ..."
60A. Classic character whose exploits inspired the phrase in this puzzle's circles : DON QUIXOTE
Here he is doing that very thing:
Buenos dias! Jeffrey takes us on a literary tour with his theme, and nicely done. Four solid theme entries and a 15-letter diagonal grid-spanner gives the puzzle a nice structure. Two pairs of 9's in the downs underpin a really nice construction. I basically solved this in an anti-clockwise direction finishing up with HANES.
In a fun coincidence, Terry Gilliam, the ex-Monty Python actor and noted film director, announced on Tuesday that he had finally finished his Don Quixote movie, which was 17 years in the making and was such a disastrous production that the attempts to make it were themselves the subject of a documentary. Here's the full tale, courtesy of The Guardian newspaper.
Across:
1. Sting, essentially : TRAP.
5. Wingding : BASH. Or one of the symbols in the Wingdings font in Microsoft Word.
9. Word often improperly punctuated : ITS. Drives me nuts. It's, its. Use the mnemonic "It's an apostrophe" if you're not sure.
12. Small stream : RILL
13. Satellite radio giant : SIRIUS. It's actually SiriusXM. Not sure I like the clue.
15. "__ lied" : SO I
16. Jackie Robinson Stadium sch. team : UCLA. You can see the field from the 405 freeway in Westwood.
19. "Bother someone else!" : SCAT!
20. Footnote term : IDEM. "The same" to reference a previously-cited source.
21. Collagist's supply : PASTE. This didn't come easily. Pasting collage materials onto the work.
22. Musical impediment : TIN EAR
26. Well-suited : APT
27. "O god of battles! __ my soldiers' hearts": Henry V : STEEL. I tried STILL first, and then realized that's probably not what Henry would want to happen to his army.
28. Be obstreperous : ACT UP
31. White House section : WING
34. Bunch : SLEW
36. See 42-Down : D'OR. Just to annoy the cross-reference dislikers even more, this two-parter even comes out of order. I've never heard of the opera, but high school French lessons rendered the translation without any great effort.
37. Bringers of great relief : SAVIORS
40. Spanish pronoun : ESO
41. ESPN's Hershiser : OREL
43. Johnny who was the last pitcher to face Babe Ruth : SAIN. The Boston Braves didn't have much depth in pitching, hence "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain".
First we'll use Spahn
then we'll use Sain
Then an off day
followed by rain
Back will come Spahn
followed by Sain
And followed
we hope
by two days of rain.
44. Catcher on the ranch : LASSO
46. Thinks : DEEMS
48. Racket : DIN
52. "Turn up the thermostat!" : I'M COLD!
56. Hunter on high : ORION. One of the more recognizable constellations.
57. Wolverine, for one : X-MAN
59. Hipbone prefix : ILIO-
62. Some annexes : ELLS
63. Santana's "__ Como Va" : OYE. First recorded by Tito Puente back in 1963. Carlos' version is the best known.
64. Hurries : SCOOTS
65. Khartoum waterway : NILE
66. Sautéing sound : SSS
67. Top 500? : INDY. Nice clue. King of the 500-lap races, the Indianapolis 500.
68. Hole starters : TEES
Down:
1. Many a charitable organization : TRUST
2. "The Addams Family" film actress : RICCI. Christina Ricci played Wednesday Addams.
3. Macabre fiction middle name : ALLAN. Edgar Poe.
4. Almost all of Tibet : PLATEAU. The bit of Tibet that isn't on the plateau is decidedly hilly. Or Himalayan, if you prefer.
5. Tight spot : BIND
6. Disney mermaid : ARIEL. I always hesitate deciding between an E and an A.
7. Summation symbol in math : SIGMA
8. "Come again?" : HUH?
9. Like some triangles : ISOSCELES. Took me a couple of cracks to spell this correctly.
10. Ineffective : TOOTHLESS. Dentist visit today. I hope I don't come back in this condition.
11. Record half : SIDE A
13. Part of a Girl Scout uniform : SKIRT. Really? Can't they wear shorts?
14. Mar. honoree : ST. PAT. St. Patrick more formally. NEVER St. Patty.
18. Playtex sister brand : HANES. News to me.
23. They run on cells : APPS. Cellphones. Tricky little clue.
25. Catholic title: Abbr. : MSGR. Monsignor. Big cheeses, but not as big cheeses as the cardinals or the Pope.
28. Fuss : ADO
29. Pants with texture : CORDUROYS. It's not from "Corde du Roi", contrary to popular opinion.
30. Natural boundaries : TREELINES
31. One of two states formed during the U.S. Civil War : W. VA. I didn't need crosses for this. Yay me!
32. Sundial marking : III. I never understand why VIII is allowed on clocks and sundials, because it breaks the roman numeral rules. It should be IIX.
33. Payment beginning? : NON-
35. Try to win : WOO
38. Gp. with common interests : ASSN.
39. Long, as odds : SLIM
42. With 36-Across, French title of a Rimsky-Korsakov opera that translates to "The Golden Rooster" : LE COQ. Here's a bottle of pineau, an aperitif from the Cognac region of France.
45. __ history : ANCIENT
47. Without : MINUS
48. Eats well : DINES
49. Extinct birds : DODOS
50. Half a 1999 gas merger : EXXON. Merged with Mobil. The deal was announced in 1998, but closed in 1999.
51. In __: sullen : A MOOD. What if you're in a good mood? Can't you be "in a mood" and happy?
53. Stan's partner : OLLIE
54. De Gaulle's birthplace : LILLE. Nice place, close to the Belgian border.
55. Prescription indications : DOSES
58. DOJ employee : ATTY.
61. Here, in Le Havre : ICI. Quite a bit of French today.
Fin. C'est tout, mes amis!
Étienne
Notes from C.C.:
The
Sixth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the beautiful Landmark Center in Saint Paul on Sunday, June 11, 2017.
Constructors include our puzzle master Jeffrey Jeffrey Wechsler, Christopher Adams, George Barany, Victor Barocas (also our editor), David Hanson, Andy Kravis, Mark McClain, Andrea Carla Michaels, David Liben-Nowell, Tom Pepper and Andrew J. Ries.
Jeffrey is flying to St. Paul again this year to help the tournament. Thank you so much, Jeffrey, you're the best!
