Theme: Lament (Homophones)
17A: Baker's lament?: I KNEAD (NEED) A VACATION
38A: Bored big game hunter's lament?: SO WHAT ELSE IS GNU (NEW)
59A: Frustrated sailor's lament?: I'M KNOT (NOT) ON THE HELM
Ai ya (Chinese for D'oh)! I missed another precious opportunity to finish a puzzle unaided today. I simply forgot SISAL for Agave plant, and had no idea that MITER could also be a carpenter's box. I also put CLINCHED instead of STITCHED for 40D: Sewed up. My March Madness moment I suppose! So I screwed up the whole corner. Oh well, next Wednesday then. Anderson is probably the only constructor whose wavelength I share.
Grid Analysis (15*15):
Total words: 78 (37 Across, 41Down). Total blank square: 34
I forgot to mention yesterday that besides the center row and center column, the grid (always diagonally symmetrical of course) also has a center square (or cell). In today's case, it's the letter L (intersection of 38A and 29D). That's why the total square counts for the grid is always an odd number (191 from Monday to Saturday's 15*15 puzzle and 441 for Sunday's 21*21 puzzle).
Today's grid has only 4 less blank squares than yesterday's, yet it just felt so open. I don't know why yesterday's puzzle bothered me. I had a quick check last night at some of the puzzles we've done, and found out that I actually enjoyed quite a few with similar counts of 3-letter words (if not more). Maybe yesterday's grid just did not fit my eyes.
Across entries:
1A: Employees: STAFF. Did not fall to the S trap due to the quick crumbling of 5D: FAA
5A: Ballet Bend: PLIÉ. Past participle of verb Plier (Bend in French). There are 2 plié styles: demi-plié (half bend) and grand-plié (full bend).
14A: Preminger film: LAURA. No idea. Pure guess. Knew Preminger only because his given name OTTO keeps coming up in the puzzle.
16A: Ticklish doll: ELMO. Silly.
20A: Physical starter?: META. Metaphysical. Ah, Aristotle and his Metaphysics! I guess those ancient Greeks did not have much to do in their spare time besides going to their mall (AGORA), so they contemplated about life and universe hard and deep. Nowadays, who else except Bernard-Henri Lévy has the time or élan to think?
22A: Beekeeping site: APIARY. Where are you, bees?
23A: Japanese zither: KOTO. Here is a beautiful picture of women in traditional Japanese kimino playing KOTO. A gimme for our fellow solver AlohaSpirit in Seattle I hope!
25A: Fraternal org.: BPOE (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks)
26A: Word to the wise: ADVICE. Not "word from the wise"? I don't get it. Don't you get advice from the person who is wise?
29A: "Micheal Collins" star: REA (Stephen). Tired of him. Time to challenge us with Latin Mens REA (guilty mind).
34A: Settle down for the night: ROOST. Wow, I always thought only birds roost.
37A: Keanu in "The Matrix": NEO. Not much going on with Keanu lately.
42A: Nautical lift: DAVIT. Here is a DAVIT for you.
43A: Strict: STERN
44A: Jodie Foster film: NELL
47A: Matched up: PAIRED. Why "matched up"? Isn't "matched" sufficient?
48A: Pitcher Hershiser: OREL. Another repeat offender.
50A: Brewer's grain: MALT
51A: Pat and Debby: BOONES. Father and daughter ("You Light up My Life".)
54A: Islet: AIT. It's clued as River inlet on Sunday's puzzle.
62A: Metric meas.: KILO
63A: Merit: RATE. Yep, let EARN rests for a while.
64A: Partner of vice?: VERSA. Vice Versa is also a 1988 film title.
65A: List ender: ET AL
66A: French/Belgian river: YSER
67A: After-market purchase: ADD-ON
Down entries:
1A: Actor Pickens: SLIM. A total stranger to me. Was his original name SLIM?
3A: Uncle's mate: AUNT. Wonder how Carson (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) reacts to this clue.
4D: Strange: FREAKISH
5D: Air-travel watchdog grp.: FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)
6D: Socrates' pupil: PLATO
9D: Adventure: ESCAPADE. I love this word and desperado, both evoking an image of some bold, fearless, wild and daring acts. I am totally buying the conspiracy theory that Roger Stone is behind Spitzer's escapade exposure.
10D: One's specialty: MÉTIER. Pas de problèm!
18D: Oasis fruit: DATE. Have you ever tried fresh palm date before? So delicious!
24D: Group of eight: OCTAD. The other word "Octet" is a composition for 8 voices.
25D: Beauty's beau: BEAST. I often wonder why "Beauty and the Beast" is not "The Beauty and the Beast", or "Beauty and Beast". What's the rationale behind the inconsistency of "the"?
26D: Burning desire: ARSON. Need a question mark here: Burning desire?
27D: "Lorna __-": DOONE. Learned from doing crossword of course.
28D: "Wheel of Fortune" buy: VOWEL. These might be tough for those solvers in Asia/Europe who do not watch "Wheel of Fortune".
33D: Word with bite or barrier: SOUND
35D: Angle maker: BEVEL. Nailed it this time.
36D: Agave plant: SISAL. Have to commit this word to my memory!
39D: Wall hanging: TAPESTRY.
40D: Sewn up: STITCHED. Naturally!
45D: Palindromic Asian leader: LON NOL (Cambodian Prime Minister)
47D: Track through a forest: PATH
50D: Carpenter's box: MITER. Never knew this before.
56D: Animal group: HERD. Talk about over-thinking and unthinking. I stretched myself to the world of PETA and SPCA, and there is no abbreviation mark in the clue to suggest that, you dummy!
58D: Fed: TMAN (Treasury)
60D: PAU's successor: OAS (Organization of American States). I bet Castro took it as a badge of honor to be excluded from OAS. As for PAU, it stands for Pan American Union.
61D: One Gabor: EVA
OK, I am ready for an Alan O. Olschang's quip/quote puzzle. Bring it on!
C.C.
17A: Baker's lament?: I KNEAD (NEED) A VACATION
38A: Bored big game hunter's lament?: SO WHAT ELSE IS GNU (NEW)
59A: Frustrated sailor's lament?: I'M KNOT (NOT) ON THE HELM
Ai ya (Chinese for D'oh)! I missed another precious opportunity to finish a puzzle unaided today. I simply forgot SISAL for Agave plant, and had no idea that MITER could also be a carpenter's box. I also put CLINCHED instead of STITCHED for 40D: Sewed up. My March Madness moment I suppose! So I screwed up the whole corner. Oh well, next Wednesday then. Anderson is probably the only constructor whose wavelength I share.
Grid Analysis (15*15):
Total words: 78 (37 Across, 41Down). Total blank square: 34
I forgot to mention yesterday that besides the center row and center column, the grid (always diagonally symmetrical of course) also has a center square (or cell). In today's case, it's the letter L (intersection of 38A and 29D). That's why the total square counts for the grid is always an odd number (191 from Monday to Saturday's 15*15 puzzle and 441 for Sunday's 21*21 puzzle).
Today's grid has only 4 less blank squares than yesterday's, yet it just felt so open. I don't know why yesterday's puzzle bothered me. I had a quick check last night at some of the puzzles we've done, and found out that I actually enjoyed quite a few with similar counts of 3-letter words (if not more). Maybe yesterday's grid just did not fit my eyes.
Across entries:
1A: Employees: STAFF. Did not fall to the S trap due to the quick crumbling of 5D: FAA
5A: Ballet Bend: PLIÉ. Past participle of verb Plier (Bend in French). There are 2 plié styles: demi-plié (half bend) and grand-plié (full bend).
14A: Preminger film: LAURA. No idea. Pure guess. Knew Preminger only because his given name OTTO keeps coming up in the puzzle.
16A: Ticklish doll: ELMO. Silly.
20A: Physical starter?: META. Metaphysical. Ah, Aristotle and his Metaphysics! I guess those ancient Greeks did not have much to do in their spare time besides going to their mall (AGORA), so they contemplated about life and universe hard and deep. Nowadays, who else except Bernard-Henri Lévy has the time or élan to think?
22A: Beekeeping site: APIARY. Where are you, bees?
23A: Japanese zither: KOTO. Here is a beautiful picture of women in traditional Japanese kimino playing KOTO. A gimme for our fellow solver AlohaSpirit in Seattle I hope!
25A: Fraternal org.: BPOE (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks)
26A: Word to the wise: ADVICE. Not "word from the wise"? I don't get it. Don't you get advice from the person who is wise?
29A: "Micheal Collins" star: REA (Stephen). Tired of him. Time to challenge us with Latin Mens REA (guilty mind).
34A: Settle down for the night: ROOST. Wow, I always thought only birds roost.
37A: Keanu in "The Matrix": NEO. Not much going on with Keanu lately.
42A: Nautical lift: DAVIT. Here is a DAVIT for you.
43A: Strict: STERN
44A: Jodie Foster film: NELL
47A: Matched up: PAIRED. Why "matched up"? Isn't "matched" sufficient?
48A: Pitcher Hershiser: OREL. Another repeat offender.
50A: Brewer's grain: MALT
51A: Pat and Debby: BOONES. Father and daughter ("You Light up My Life".)
54A: Islet: AIT. It's clued as River inlet on Sunday's puzzle.
62A: Metric meas.: KILO
63A: Merit: RATE. Yep, let EARN rests for a while.
64A: Partner of vice?: VERSA. Vice Versa is also a 1988 film title.
65A: List ender: ET AL
66A: French/Belgian river: YSER
67A: After-market purchase: ADD-ON
Down entries:
1A: Actor Pickens: SLIM. A total stranger to me. Was his original name SLIM?
3A: Uncle's mate: AUNT. Wonder how Carson (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) reacts to this clue.
4D: Strange: FREAKISH
5D: Air-travel watchdog grp.: FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)
6D: Socrates' pupil: PLATO
9D: Adventure: ESCAPADE. I love this word and desperado, both evoking an image of some bold, fearless, wild and daring acts. I am totally buying the conspiracy theory that Roger Stone is behind Spitzer's escapade exposure.
10D: One's specialty: MÉTIER. Pas de problèm!
18D: Oasis fruit: DATE. Have you ever tried fresh palm date before? So delicious!
24D: Group of eight: OCTAD. The other word "Octet" is a composition for 8 voices.
25D: Beauty's beau: BEAST. I often wonder why "Beauty and the Beast" is not "The Beauty and the Beast", or "Beauty and Beast". What's the rationale behind the inconsistency of "the"?
26D: Burning desire: ARSON. Need a question mark here: Burning desire?
27D: "Lorna __-": DOONE. Learned from doing crossword of course.
28D: "Wheel of Fortune" buy: VOWEL. These might be tough for those solvers in Asia/Europe who do not watch "Wheel of Fortune".
33D: Word with bite or barrier: SOUND
35D: Angle maker: BEVEL. Nailed it this time.
36D: Agave plant: SISAL. Have to commit this word to my memory!
39D: Wall hanging: TAPESTRY.
40D: Sewn up: STITCHED. Naturally!
45D: Palindromic Asian leader: LON NOL (Cambodian Prime Minister)
47D: Track through a forest: PATH
50D: Carpenter's box: MITER. Never knew this before.
56D: Animal group: HERD. Talk about over-thinking and unthinking. I stretched myself to the world of PETA and SPCA, and there is no abbreviation mark in the clue to suggest that, you dummy!
58D: Fed: TMAN (Treasury)
60D: PAU's successor: OAS (Organization of American States). I bet Castro took it as a badge of honor to be excluded from OAS. As for PAU, it stands for Pan American Union.
61D: One Gabor: EVA
OK, I am ready for an Alan O. Olschang's quip/quote puzzle. Bring it on!
C.C.
