Theme: Lose Out
20A: Start of a quip: A GOOD LOSER IS
28A: Part 2 of quip: ALL RIGHT BUT
39A: Part 3 of quip: IT'S
44A: Part 4 of quip: NOT VERY MUCH
52A: End of quip: FUN TO BEAT HIM
Why "AT HIM"? What does it mean? Why not simply "BE HIM"? So hard for me to grok what he is trying to convey. (Addendum: My bad. It's "TO BEAT HIM", not "TO BE AT HIM". The original Evan Esar quip is: "A good loser is all right, but it isn't so much fun to beat him.")
A slight Russian/East European sub-theme:
21A: Gymnast Korbut: OLGA. OLGA means"Holy" in Russian.
30D: Second cosmonaut: TITOV (Gherman). I've never heard of this name before. Only know Yuri Gagarin. Look, it's autographed.
37D: Buckwheat groats: KASHA. Not familiar with KASHA. The only buckwheat product I like is soba noodle (served cold).
Nothing scintillating about this puzzle. The theme is too STALE (49D: Like old bread) for me. If I were the editor, I would listen to and respect puzzle solvers' opinions and offer quip/quote puzzle once a month at most.
Across:
1A: Time for a shower?: APRIL. How far would you go for true love?
10A: Small town: BURG. What is the average population size for a BURG?
14A: Spyri heroine: HEIDI. Identical clue/answer in his June 26 "Gossip" quip.
18A: Spicy stew: OLIO. So is OLLA (56A: Earthenware pot), which also means "Spicy stew".
23A: Money-managing exec.: CFO. Andrew Fastow's mug always pops into my mind every time I see a CFO clue.
32A: Bologna neighbor: MODENA. Have vaguely heard of this motor racing city (Ferrari 360 MODENA) before, but I don't think I would have got it without the crossing fills. Pavarotti was born here. Wikipedia says MODENA is also "well known in culinary circles for its production of balsamic vinegar".
40A: Shepherdess in Virgil's "Eclogues": DELIA. No idea. I've never heard of "Eclogues" and I don't know who DELIA is. Are you familiar with Bob Dylan's DELIA?
50A: Dissemblance: ACT. I got it from down clue. I did not know the meaning of "Dissemblance".
63A: Small monkey: TITI. I forgot again. It appeared in our puzzle before. He has such a long tail.
67A: Pumps, e.g.: SHOES. Silly "In Her Shoes".
Down:
5D: Pasta choice: LINGUINE. What are those green pieces?
6D: Make even: SMOOTH. Beautiful "SMOOTH operator" (Sade), so sensual.
9D: Rose: STOOD UP. I was thinking of this "Rose", Xchefwalt's FLOUR FLOWER.
10D: Elaine of "Seinfeld": BENES. You know something, no soup for you!
12D: Marconi's medium: RADIO. Gimme, after all those Tesla/Edison discussions 2 weeks ago.
31D: Oceanography deg: BMS (Bachelor of Marine Science). Once again, I obtained this answer from the across fills.
35D: Spoken: ALOUD. Are they really synonymous?
53D: Bruhn of ballet: ERIK. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he had a long relationship with Rudolf Nureyev.
55D: Fluttery flyer: MOTH. "I was always the butterfly, and you were always the MOTH. And now it's time to embrace the flame."
59D: Personal question?: WHO. I penned in AGE first.
C.C.
20A: Start of a quip: A GOOD LOSER IS
28A: Part 2 of quip: ALL RIGHT BUT
39A: Part 3 of quip: IT'S
44A: Part 4 of quip: NOT VERY MUCH
52A: End of quip: FUN TO BEAT HIM
Why "AT HIM"? What does it mean? Why not simply "BE HIM"? So hard for me to grok what he is trying to convey. (Addendum: My bad. It's "TO BEAT HIM", not "TO BE AT HIM". The original Evan Esar quip is: "A good loser is all right, but it isn't so much fun to beat him.")
A slight Russian/East European sub-theme:
21A: Gymnast Korbut: OLGA. OLGA means"Holy" in Russian.
30D: Second cosmonaut: TITOV (Gherman). I've never heard of this name before. Only know Yuri Gagarin. Look, it's autographed.
37D: Buckwheat groats: KASHA. Not familiar with KASHA. The only buckwheat product I like is soba noodle (served cold).
Nothing scintillating about this puzzle. The theme is too STALE (49D: Like old bread) for me. If I were the editor, I would listen to and respect puzzle solvers' opinions and offer quip/quote puzzle once a month at most.
Across:
1A: Time for a shower?: APRIL. How far would you go for true love?
10A: Small town: BURG. What is the average population size for a BURG?
14A: Spyri heroine: HEIDI. Identical clue/answer in his June 26 "Gossip" quip.
18A: Spicy stew: OLIO. So is OLLA (56A: Earthenware pot), which also means "Spicy stew".
23A: Money-managing exec.: CFO. Andrew Fastow's mug always pops into my mind every time I see a CFO clue.
32A: Bologna neighbor: MODENA. Have vaguely heard of this motor racing city (Ferrari 360 MODENA) before, but I don't think I would have got it without the crossing fills. Pavarotti was born here. Wikipedia says MODENA is also "well known in culinary circles for its production of balsamic vinegar".
40A: Shepherdess in Virgil's "Eclogues": DELIA. No idea. I've never heard of "Eclogues" and I don't know who DELIA is. Are you familiar with Bob Dylan's DELIA?
50A: Dissemblance: ACT. I got it from down clue. I did not know the meaning of "Dissemblance".
63A: Small monkey: TITI. I forgot again. It appeared in our puzzle before. He has such a long tail.
67A: Pumps, e.g.: SHOES. Silly "In Her Shoes".
Down:
5D: Pasta choice: LINGUINE. What are those green pieces?
6D: Make even: SMOOTH. Beautiful "SMOOTH operator" (Sade), so sensual.
9D: Rose: STOOD UP. I was thinking of this "Rose", Xchefwalt's
10D: Elaine of "Seinfeld": BENES. You know something, no soup for you!
12D: Marconi's medium: RADIO. Gimme, after all those Tesla/Edison discussions 2 weeks ago.
31D: Oceanography deg: BMS (Bachelor of Marine Science). Once again, I obtained this answer from the across fills.
35D: Spoken: ALOUD. Are they really synonymous?
53D: Bruhn of ballet: ERIK. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he had a long relationship with Rudolf Nureyev.
55D: Fluttery flyer: MOTH. "I was always the butterfly, and you were always the MOTH. And now it's time to embrace the flame."
59D: Personal question?: WHO. I penned in AGE first.
C.C.
