Theme: NO
I often find a themeless puzzle more intimidating. You can not take a wild guess at some quotation/quip, or spot a bogey-par-birdie or the broken-heart pattern and fill in lots of blanks. This themeless is a true test of your range of knowledge and solving ability. I am just not up for it.
But I am getting better, I used to really like lots of s, es, ed, er, est, ing in the clues, now I don't. I've learned that that was bad and lazy construction.
Today I spent about 35 minutes on the puzzle before I started googling. I did not know 27A: "Punking out" Group (RAMONES). I never heard of the Ramones. I kept thinking of Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd. I did not know the Artis of the NBA (GILMORE), and never heard of ALWORTH (39D: Lance of the NFL). That gave me lots of trouble in the lower middle part.
OK, here are the across entries
1A: Territory's future, perhaps: STATEHOOD
10A: Knight's mail: ARMOR. I got this from the down clues. I was baffled after I reviewed my finished puzzle and could not understand why armor was a mail. Then found out that mail has another meaning of "flexible armor of interlinked rings'.
15A: Long-time New Yorker cartoonist: PETER ARNO. Never heard of him. Got it from down clues. He had a great quote: "Tell me about yourself - your struggles, your dreams, your telephone number."
16A: Use a razor: SHAVE
17A: Peculiar deviations: ANOMALIES
20A: Lillian or Dorothy: GISH. They are pretty sisters. Wow, I found out that Lillian lived until 99 years old.
23A: Pique performance: SNIT
24A: Madame Curie: MARIE
25A:Gillette blade: ATRA
27A: "Punking Out" group: RAMONES. See here for more information. I don't think I want to listen to their music. I just don't like rock, punk, or rap. OK, one exception. I like Pink's Let's get the Party Started.
30A: Viewing twins?: SEEING DOUBLE
32A: Selling feature: ASSET
35A: Highland hillsides: BRAES. Anther repeat offender.
36A: Repeatedly: TIME AND AGAIN
43A: Staggering: REELING
44A: Commercial bits: ADS
47A: Canasta combination: MELD. Did not know this one, in fact, I did not know the meaning of Canasta. It's a card game.
49A: Singer Lou: RAWLS. Frank Sinatra said he had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game." He was once called "The funkiest man alive". I figure Samuel Jackson must love his music.
50A: From _ to stern: STEM. From one end to another.
51A: Man or Capri: ISLE
53A: Earth model: GLOBE. I botched this one. I was trapped into thinking that earth model might refer to a Korean car model. Could not get any assistance from the down clues.
54A: Wading bird: STILT. Never heard of this bird. The only wading birds I know are Egret, heron and crane.
56A: Like wind and rain: EROSIONAL
58A: Saw's cutters: TEETH
59A: Most peculiar: STRANGEST
60A: Spindrift: SPRAY. I was imaging cotton being processed and lots of fiber drifting.
61A: Rabble: THE MASSES. I got _ _ _ masses, then I thought the constructor was looking for a Latin word which means lower class people. Did not even think of putting a "the" there. Besides, I did not know the NBA/NFL guys' name, so could not get any help from the down clues.
Down entries:
1D: Scanty: SPARSE
2D: Renter: TENANT
4D: Entice: TEMPT
6D: Kubrick's computer: HAL. Learned this from doing crossword.
7D: Artful paper-folding: ORIGAMI. My Grandma was very good at this.
8D: Long golf club: ONE IRON. When I started playing golf in 2001, the only clubs I used were 7-iron & my putter. I used it for drive, fairway/rough shot, bunker shot & chip.
9D: Flopping in London: DOSSING. Sleeping. Unknown to me. I did not even know "flop" can mean sleep, not to mention the British word for it.
10D: One Wednesday: ASH
11D: Valerie Harper sitcom: RHODA
12D: Most easterly Prairie Province: MANITOBA
13D: Use veto power: OVERRULE. Star Tribune cover page this morning: Pawlenty veto sets up fight over transportation bill. Lots of rumors are swirling around that our Governor Tim Pawlenty will be McCain's running mate.
14D: Says over: RESTATES
21D: Listen to: HEED. I put "hear" first, then corrected myself quickly.
24D: Astronaut Jemison: MAE. First black woman to travel in space.
27D: Make roof repairs: RETAR
28D: Edna Ferber novel: SO BIG. She won Pulitzer for this book.
30D: Bishopric: SEE
31D: Container with a tap: URN
32D: Followers on an ancient Greek theory: ATOMISTS. Unknown to me. I wanted it to be Sto__ists, you know, like stoic something. That's the only greek theory I knew.
33D: Evade: SIDESTEP
34D: More rank: SMELLIER. Like a rank cigar, having an offensive strong smell.
37D: Soft-toy stuff: NERF
38D: Mommie's last name?: DEAREST. I was thinking of the Scarlett's nanny in Gone with the Wind. I thought she called her Mommie. Did not know that Mommie Dearest was a book, written by Joan Crawford's daughter.
39D: Lance of the NFL: ALWORTH. Unknown to me. Even if he is in Hall-of-Fame.
40D: Artis of the NBA: GILMORE. Nicknamed "A-Train". I know the "Big Train" Walter Johnson. I ruined my Walter Johnson bobblehead by using Mr. Eraser to clean a small blemish on his lower left chin. My God, the blemish was gone, but his chin became horribly white. Just awful!
41D: Response to a ques.: ANS
44D: Expiates: ATONES
45D: Cheapen: DEBASE
46D: Refines ore: SMELTS. The word in my mind was "Assay". Did not know that besides fish, "smelt" can mean refine metal by fusing.
48D: Mississippi triangle: DELTA
50D: Works hard: SLOGS. That's how I do my puzzle every day.
53D: Actress Lollobrigida: GINA. Vaguely remembered her name.
55D: "Hallowed by _ name...": THY
57D: Nunn or Donaldson: SAM. Gimme for me. Thought you might like this tidbit that I lifted from Wikipedia:
"On August 2, 2006, during the last White House Press conference in the briefing room before undergoing major renovations, Donaldson shouted, "Mr. President, should Mel Gibson be forgiven?", referencing reports of the actor/producer's alleged anti-Semitic remarks.
Bush laughed and looked up to see who had asked the question. Bush joked, "Is that Sam Donaldson? Forget it ... you're a 'has-been'! We don't have to answer has-beens' questions." To which Donaldson retorted "It's better to be a has-been than a never-was!"
I don't think Bush came back with an equally sparkling repartee. I never saw the interview, but I could picture him grinning his way out, jaw agape. God, that smirk!
Enjoy your weekend everyone.
C. C.
I often find a themeless puzzle more intimidating. You can not take a wild guess at some quotation/quip, or spot a bogey-par-birdie or the broken-heart pattern and fill in lots of blanks. This themeless is a true test of your range of knowledge and solving ability. I am just not up for it.
But I am getting better, I used to really like lots of s, es, ed, er, est, ing in the clues, now I don't. I've learned that that was bad and lazy construction.
Today I spent about 35 minutes on the puzzle before I started googling. I did not know 27A: "Punking out" Group (RAMONES). I never heard of the Ramones. I kept thinking of Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd. I did not know the Artis of the NBA (GILMORE), and never heard of ALWORTH (39D: Lance of the NFL). That gave me lots of trouble in the lower middle part.
OK, here are the across entries
1A: Territory's future, perhaps: STATEHOOD
10A: Knight's mail: ARMOR. I got this from the down clues. I was baffled after I reviewed my finished puzzle and could not understand why armor was a mail. Then found out that mail has another meaning of "flexible armor of interlinked rings'.
15A: Long-time New Yorker cartoonist: PETER ARNO. Never heard of him. Got it from down clues. He had a great quote: "Tell me about yourself - your struggles, your dreams, your telephone number."
16A: Use a razor: SHAVE
17A: Peculiar deviations: ANOMALIES
20A: Lillian or Dorothy: GISH. They are pretty sisters. Wow, I found out that Lillian lived until 99 years old.
23A: Pique performance: SNIT
24A: Madame Curie: MARIE
25A:Gillette blade: ATRA
27A: "Punking Out" group: RAMONES. See here for more information. I don't think I want to listen to their music. I just don't like rock, punk, or rap. OK, one exception. I like Pink's Let's get the Party Started.
30A: Viewing twins?: SEEING DOUBLE
32A: Selling feature: ASSET
35A: Highland hillsides: BRAES. Anther repeat offender.
36A: Repeatedly: TIME AND AGAIN
43A: Staggering: REELING
44A: Commercial bits: ADS
47A: Canasta combination: MELD. Did not know this one, in fact, I did not know the meaning of Canasta. It's a card game.
49A: Singer Lou: RAWLS. Frank Sinatra said he had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game." He was once called "The funkiest man alive". I figure Samuel Jackson must love his music.
50A: From _ to stern: STEM. From one end to another.
51A: Man or Capri: ISLE
53A: Earth model: GLOBE. I botched this one. I was trapped into thinking that earth model might refer to a Korean car model. Could not get any assistance from the down clues.
54A: Wading bird: STILT. Never heard of this bird. The only wading birds I know are Egret, heron and crane.
56A: Like wind and rain: EROSIONAL
58A: Saw's cutters: TEETH
59A: Most peculiar: STRANGEST
60A: Spindrift: SPRAY. I was imaging cotton being processed and lots of fiber drifting.
61A: Rabble: THE MASSES. I got _ _ _ masses, then I thought the constructor was looking for a Latin word which means lower class people. Did not even think of putting a "the" there. Besides, I did not know the NBA/NFL guys' name, so could not get any help from the down clues.
Down entries:
1D: Scanty: SPARSE
2D: Renter: TENANT
4D: Entice: TEMPT
6D: Kubrick's computer: HAL. Learned this from doing crossword.
7D: Artful paper-folding: ORIGAMI. My Grandma was very good at this.
8D: Long golf club: ONE IRON. When I started playing golf in 2001, the only clubs I used were 7-iron & my putter. I used it for drive, fairway/rough shot, bunker shot & chip.
9D: Flopping in London: DOSSING. Sleeping. Unknown to me. I did not even know "flop" can mean sleep, not to mention the British word for it.
10D: One Wednesday: ASH
11D: Valerie Harper sitcom: RHODA
12D: Most easterly Prairie Province: MANITOBA
13D: Use veto power: OVERRULE. Star Tribune cover page this morning: Pawlenty veto sets up fight over transportation bill. Lots of rumors are swirling around that our Governor Tim Pawlenty will be McCain's running mate.
14D: Says over: RESTATES
21D: Listen to: HEED. I put "hear" first, then corrected myself quickly.
24D: Astronaut Jemison: MAE. First black woman to travel in space.
27D: Make roof repairs: RETAR
28D: Edna Ferber novel: SO BIG. She won Pulitzer for this book.
30D: Bishopric: SEE
31D: Container with a tap: URN
32D: Followers on an ancient Greek theory: ATOMISTS. Unknown to me. I wanted it to be Sto__ists, you know, like stoic something. That's the only greek theory I knew.
33D: Evade: SIDESTEP
34D: More rank: SMELLIER. Like a rank cigar, having an offensive strong smell.
37D: Soft-toy stuff: NERF
38D: Mommie's last name?: DEAREST. I was thinking of the Scarlett's nanny in Gone with the Wind. I thought she called her Mommie. Did not know that Mommie Dearest was a book, written by Joan Crawford's daughter.
39D: Lance of the NFL: ALWORTH. Unknown to me. Even if he is in Hall-of-Fame.
40D: Artis of the NBA: GILMORE. Nicknamed "A-Train". I know the "Big Train" Walter Johnson. I ruined my Walter Johnson bobblehead by using Mr. Eraser to clean a small blemish on his lower left chin. My God, the blemish was gone, but his chin became horribly white. Just awful!
41D: Response to a ques.: ANS
44D: Expiates: ATONES
45D: Cheapen: DEBASE
46D: Refines ore: SMELTS. The word in my mind was "Assay". Did not know that besides fish, "smelt" can mean refine metal by fusing.
48D: Mississippi triangle: DELTA
50D: Works hard: SLOGS. That's how I do my puzzle every day.
53D: Actress Lollobrigida: GINA. Vaguely remembered her name.
55D: "Hallowed by _ name...": THY
57D: Nunn or Donaldson: SAM. Gimme for me. Thought you might like this tidbit that I lifted from Wikipedia:
"On August 2, 2006, during the last White House Press conference in the briefing room before undergoing major renovations, Donaldson shouted, "Mr. President, should Mel Gibson be forgiven?", referencing reports of the actor/producer's alleged anti-Semitic remarks.
Bush laughed and looked up to see who had asked the question. Bush joked, "Is that Sam Donaldson? Forget it ... you're a 'has-been'! We don't have to answer has-beens' questions." To which Donaldson retorted "It's better to be a has-been than a never-was!"
I don't think Bush came back with an equally sparkling repartee. I never saw the interview, but I could picture him grinning his way out, jaw agape. God, that smirk!
Enjoy your weekend everyone.
C. C.
