Theme: Oral Cavity
17A: Senior Bush pronouncement: READ MY LIPS
63A: Harmonica: MOUTH ORGAN
11D: At a loss for words: TONGUE TIED
29D: Dentyne, e.g.: CHEWING GUM
I did it! I hit the ball out of the park! No steroid, no corked bat, no google visit. It's just gone! That ball is history! My first ever cheat-free puzzle!
It's a smooth sailing from the beginning to the end. I did not chance upon any obscure words or get tangled by any "could be this""could be that" snag. I only used Liquid Paper once to correct one mis-fill.
The appearance of both 40A: SENOR and 39D: SENORITA in the same puzzle made me cringe a bit, but they are structured so nicely in the grid, so I will let it go. But I would reclue 14A: "Type of code or rug" to something else, since the word CODE appears again as the answer to clue 36D: Encryptions. What do you think?
Grid: 15*15. Total word counts: 74. Total blank squares: 34
Oh, another thing, I have a quick question for you: On Sunday's puzzle, BANJOS is clued as "Lute kin". I know kin's plural form is still kin, so, technically, the pluralized BANJO is correct, but shouldn't "Lute" be in plural form to be completely harmonious with the answer? Or do you think the clue is perfectly fine as it is? Let me have your view.
Across Entries:
5A: Calyx part: SEPAL
10A: Bus driver on "The Simpsons". OTTO. An educated guess. Have never watched this TV series.
15A: Play Tricks on: TEASE
16A: Quantum physicist Niels: BOHR. Repeat offender!
19D: Give the cold shoulder to: SNUB
20D: Island nation of east of Fiji: TONGA. Thought this country used GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS(GNH) to define their quality of life. Wrong, it is Bhutan.
21D: Retirement accounts: NEST EGGS
23D: Sponsorship: EGIS. Could also be spelled as AEGIS.
26D: Former Indian leader: NEHRU
31D: Musical sound effect: REVERB. Reverberative effective, I gather?
45D: Low point: NADIR
47D: Dusk, to Donne: E'EN. I love like the alliteration of the clue. John Donne is an English Poet. This is a great bar in Hongkong called "Dusk Till Dawn".
55D: Actor Ewin: MCGREGOR. Refreshing! I am really tired to see Actor McGregor (EWIN) clue.
71D: Farmer's place. in song: DELL. The Farmer in the Dell. Sadly, I am not familiar with any of the English nursery rhyme. I got it from down clues.
Down entries:
1D: Links vehicle: CART. Cannot understand why so many teenagers take golf cart!
4D: Wisconsin mascot: BADGER. I love our Goldy Gopher!
8D: Colorado ski resort: ASPEN
13D: Eye, poetically: ORBS
18D: Conjuring: MAGIC. I only knew and used the verb "conjure, or conjure up".
24D: Nile bird: IBIS. No question asked, it's always IBIS for Nile bird.
28D: Lower oneself: STOOP. Hello, Hillary, 3am phone call, just curious to see how low will you stoop for the April 22 primary?
41D: "Little Caesar" role: RICO. Unknown to me. I got it from across clues.
44D: Artist Magritte: RENÉ. Another surrealist. I don't get this picture. If it's not a pipe, what is it then?
46D: Drive in Beverly Hills: RODEO
49D: Church doctrines: DOGMA
51D: Exemplar of stiffness: RAMROD
53D: Truth, of yore: SOOTH. I did not know this before.
55D: British pianist Hess: MYRA. I just noticed that MYRA is also an ancient town in Lycia (Turkey).
Alright, time for baseball! Twins Vs Angels (Torii who?) tonight. Justin Moreau was 3-for-4 last year at the Opening Day against the Orioles.
C.C.
PS: Oops, I forgot to say a special Thank you to Orange (Amy Reynaldo) earlier. Without her book and her generous help, I would've never finished this puzzle unaided. She has unveiled the mystery of crossword world to me. She taught me how, and she explained to me why.
17A: Senior Bush pronouncement: READ MY LIPS
63A: Harmonica: MOUTH ORGAN
11D: At a loss for words: TONGUE TIED
29D: Dentyne, e.g.: CHEWING GUM
I did it! I hit the ball out of the park! No steroid, no corked bat, no google visit. It's just gone! That ball is history! My first ever cheat-free puzzle!
It's a smooth sailing from the beginning to the end. I did not chance upon any obscure words or get tangled by any "could be this""could be that" snag. I only used Liquid Paper once to correct one mis-fill.
The appearance of both 40A: SENOR and 39D: SENORITA in the same puzzle made me cringe a bit, but they are structured so nicely in the grid, so I will let it go. But I would reclue 14A: "Type of code or rug" to something else, since the word CODE appears again as the answer to clue 36D: Encryptions. What do you think?
Grid: 15*15. Total word counts: 74. Total blank squares: 34
Oh, another thing, I have a quick question for you: On Sunday's puzzle, BANJOS is clued as "Lute kin". I know kin's plural form is still kin, so, technically, the pluralized BANJO is correct, but shouldn't "Lute" be in plural form to be completely harmonious with the answer? Or do you think the clue is perfectly fine as it is? Let me have your view.
Across Entries:
5A: Calyx part: SEPAL
10A: Bus driver on "The Simpsons". OTTO. An educated guess. Have never watched this TV series.
15A: Play Tricks on: TEASE
16A: Quantum physicist Niels: BOHR. Repeat offender!
19D: Give the cold shoulder to: SNUB
20D: Island nation of east of Fiji: TONGA. Thought this country used GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS(GNH) to define their quality of life. Wrong, it is Bhutan.
21D: Retirement accounts: NEST EGGS
23D: Sponsorship: EGIS. Could also be spelled as AEGIS.
26D: Former Indian leader: NEHRU
31D: Musical sound effect: REVERB. Reverberative effective, I gather?
45D: Low point: NADIR
47D: Dusk, to Donne: E'EN. I love like the alliteration of the clue. John Donne is an English Poet. This is a great bar in Hongkong called "Dusk Till Dawn".
55D: Actor Ewin: MCGREGOR. Refreshing! I am really tired to see Actor McGregor (EWIN) clue.
71D: Farmer's place. in song: DELL. The Farmer in the Dell. Sadly, I am not familiar with any of the English nursery rhyme. I got it from down clues.
Down entries:
1D: Links vehicle: CART. Cannot understand why so many teenagers take golf cart!
4D: Wisconsin mascot: BADGER. I love our Goldy Gopher!
8D: Colorado ski resort: ASPEN
13D: Eye, poetically: ORBS
18D: Conjuring: MAGIC. I only knew and used the verb "conjure, or conjure up".
24D: Nile bird: IBIS. No question asked, it's always IBIS for Nile bird.
28D: Lower oneself: STOOP. Hello, Hillary, 3am phone call, just curious to see how low will you stoop for the April 22 primary?
41D: "Little Caesar" role: RICO. Unknown to me. I got it from across clues.
44D: Artist Magritte: RENÉ. Another surrealist. I don't get this picture. If it's not a pipe, what is it then?
46D: Drive in Beverly Hills: RODEO
49D: Church doctrines: DOGMA
51D: Exemplar of stiffness: RAMROD
53D: Truth, of yore: SOOTH. I did not know this before.
55D: British pianist Hess: MYRA. I just noticed that MYRA is also an ancient town in Lycia (Turkey).
Alright, time for baseball! Twins Vs Angels (Torii who?) tonight. Justin Moreau was 3-for-4 last year at the Opening Day against the Orioles.
C.C.
PS: Oops, I forgot to say a special Thank you to Orange (Amy Reynaldo) earlier. Without her book and her generous help, I would've never finished this puzzle unaided. She has unveiled the mystery of crossword world to me. She taught me how, and she explained to me why.
