Theme: Silver Screen Diamond Flicks (Baseball Films)
17A: The Natural
26A: Eight Men Out
40A: The Bad News Bears
53A: Major League
63A: Bull Durham
I've seen 4 of the above 5 films. I never heard of The Bad News Bears. I watch Major League every year when the season starts. I also love Field of Dreams. My husband can lip almost every line of Bull Durham. Silly.
You would think I would breeze through this puzzle given my love for baseball. But I failed miserably. The problem started with 7D: Wetlands. I put a MOORS rather than MARSH. Then I put ALTER rather than ADAPT for 8D: Changes to fit. I had ENSUED rather than TAILED for 18D: Followed. So I could not get the movie Eight Men Out.
Here are the recaps:
1A: Amo, ___, amat: AMAS. Oh Latin.
15A: __-masochism: SADO. I felt sick after learning the meaning of this word. Those people should watch Major League.
20A: Nabokov book: ADA. I only knew Lolita.
21A: Sample: SPECIMEN
23A: Clicking sound : TSK
29A: Color of the Italian sky: BLU. That's the color of my dream too.
50A: Elec. switch: IGN. I don't like this clue. I put OFF immediately.
59A: Vespers service: EVENSONG. New word to me.
Down Clues:
1D: Knack: ART
2D:__ - Jongg: MAH. Most of the Mah Jongg players are retired folks, right?
5D: 2nd Best: GRADE B. I could not get this one out.
9D: Sacred: SOLEMN
10D: Dead, as a dragon: SLAIN
11D: Cinematic Topper: COSMO. (Update: Please read the Comments part, one reader has explained very well why COSMO is the answer).
12D: Nice farewell?: ADIEU. No need for the question mark after the clue, Editor, we know Nice is a city.
13D: Intended: MEANT
18D: Followed: TAILED. I put ENSUED first.
22D: Show-biz notable: CELEB. Clooney & Pitt are real CELEBS, look at what they have done for Darfur & New Orleans. Randy Moss is a controversial CELEB.
23D: Willful injuries: TORTS.
24D: "Magnificent Obsession" director: STAHL (John). The 1935 film, not the 1954 film with Jane Wyman.
25D: Part of ROK: KOREA. South Korea (Republic of Korea). Kim Jong-il's North Korea is DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).
27D: '50s TV series "Peter __": GUNN. Never heard of it.
32D: Naut. direction: EBN (East by North)
38D: Muse of poetry: ERATO. I got this one.
42D: Early American political party: WHIG
43D: Made a smooth transition: SEGUED. Got it.
49D: Faculty status: TENURE.
51D: Interstellar cloud: NEBULA
54D: Hail from a sailor: AVAST. I put AMAST first.
55D: Cafeteria dessert: JELLO
56D: In a dominant position: On TOP (I put AT TOP initially)
57D: Love-lit: AGLOW. I was thinking of some literature, like Chick Lit.
66D: Peer Gynt's mother: ASE. Only learned last week who Peer Gynt was, now his mother.
Have a good week everyone.
C. C.
17A: The Natural
26A: Eight Men Out
40A: The Bad News Bears
53A: Major League
63A: Bull Durham
I've seen 4 of the above 5 films. I never heard of The Bad News Bears. I watch Major League every year when the season starts. I also love Field of Dreams. My husband can lip almost every line of Bull Durham. Silly.
You would think I would breeze through this puzzle given my love for baseball. But I failed miserably. The problem started with 7D: Wetlands. I put a MOORS rather than MARSH. Then I put ALTER rather than ADAPT for 8D: Changes to fit. I had ENSUED rather than TAILED for 18D: Followed. So I could not get the movie Eight Men Out.
Here are the recaps:
1A: Amo, ___, amat: AMAS. Oh Latin.
15A: __-masochism: SADO. I felt sick after learning the meaning of this word. Those people should watch Major League.
20A: Nabokov book: ADA. I only knew Lolita.
21A: Sample: SPECIMEN
23A: Clicking sound : TSK
29A: Color of the Italian sky: BLU. That's the color of my dream too.
50A: Elec. switch: IGN. I don't like this clue. I put OFF immediately.
59A: Vespers service: EVENSONG. New word to me.
Down Clues:
1D: Knack: ART
2D:__ - Jongg: MAH. Most of the Mah Jongg players are retired folks, right?
5D: 2nd Best: GRADE B. I could not get this one out.
9D: Sacred: SOLEMN
10D: Dead, as a dragon: SLAIN
11D: Cinematic Topper: COSMO. (Update: Please read the Comments part, one reader has explained very well why COSMO is the answer).
12D: Nice farewell?: ADIEU. No need for the question mark after the clue, Editor, we know Nice is a city.
13D: Intended: MEANT
18D: Followed: TAILED. I put ENSUED first.
22D: Show-biz notable: CELEB. Clooney & Pitt are real CELEBS, look at what they have done for Darfur & New Orleans. Randy Moss is a controversial CELEB.
23D: Willful injuries: TORTS.
24D: "Magnificent Obsession" director: STAHL (John). The 1935 film, not the 1954 film with Jane Wyman.
25D: Part of ROK: KOREA. South Korea (Republic of Korea). Kim Jong-il's North Korea is DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).
27D: '50s TV series "Peter __": GUNN. Never heard of it.
32D: Naut. direction: EBN (East by North)
38D: Muse of poetry: ERATO. I got this one.
42D: Early American political party: WHIG
43D: Made a smooth transition: SEGUED. Got it.
49D: Faculty status: TENURE.
51D: Interstellar cloud: NEBULA
54D: Hail from a sailor: AVAST. I put AMAST first.
55D: Cafeteria dessert: JELLO
56D: In a dominant position: On TOP (I put AT TOP initially)
57D: Love-lit: AGLOW. I was thinking of some literature, like Chick Lit.
66D: Peer Gynt's mother: ASE. Only learned last week who Peer Gynt was, now his mother.
Have a good week everyone.
C. C.
