Theme: FINER RHYMES
17A: Seven-time home run champ: RALPH KINER
28A: One operating a dragline excavator: STRIP MINER
36A: Where Flo worked: MEL'S DINER
48A: QE2, for one: OCEAN LINER
61A: Frisco gridder: FORTY- NINER
Sub-theme: JOHN
43A: John's beloved: YOKO
6D: Grisham (John) novel, with "The": CLIENT
23D: John Henry's tool: HAMMER
33D: Economist John Mayard: KEYNES
55D: "John Brown's Body" poet: BENET
I started out very nicely: penned in ASPEN for 1A, had one strawberry, then filled in ANNOYED for 1D. Then I had a quick glance at the author's name and was a bit disconcerted that it was not Philip J. Anderson. I paused at Allan E. Parrish's name and got very nervous immediately.
Remember the EAT HER theme blunder I committed on March 21? Embarrassing! I am sure that my ignorance will continue to bubble up and boil over. Please bear with me.
Anyway, I never gained my confidence back after learning the puzzle author's name, never really gained any toehold at all. It's an extremely grueling trek. I did figure out the theme pretty quickly though. From now on, no more breakfast before puzzle, foods dull my brain. Felt like a lethargic tree sloth UNAU this morning.
Grid: 15*15. Total words count: 74. Total blank squares: 33.
Across entries:
1A: Colorado resort: ASPEN. Let's pack up the T-Bar, Gondola lift and other SKI (38D: Hit the slopes) gears and go back to "Shivering Tree" clue for a while.
2A: Tobacco plug: CHAW
10A: Certain mil. awards: DSCS. DSC is Distinguished Service Cross. Could also be DSO (Distinguished Service Order), or DSM (Distinguished Service Medal).
14A: Former NYC mayor Abe: BEAME. Not familiar with him.
15A: Molten rock: LAVA
16A: Billy or jack: MALE. Billy is a male goat, jack is a male donkey.
19A: Type of type: abbr.: ITAL (Italic)
20A: Thick-brick link: AS A
21A: Quite angry: IRED. Is this even a word?
22A: "Fiddler on the Roof": SHTETL. Ow, what a ridiculous name! "On the other hand", it's a legitimate clue. Shtetl is Yiddish for "small town".
24A: Attacks zealously: DIVES IN
26A: Mountain ridge: ARETE. Repeat offender!
27A: Henry James biographer: EDEL (Leon)
32A: Shortstop Jeter: DEREK. I think I have his rookie card.
40A: Sales channel: HSN (Home Shopping Network). Looks like Rene Aiu is doing a good job.
44A: Dressed like a judge: ROBED
53A: Specter: SHADE
54A: Singer Flack: ROBERTA. My favorite is probably "Killing me softly with his song".
56A: Singer Brewer: TERESA. No, not a familiar name to me.
59A: NOW element: ORG. NOW is National Organization for Women.
64A: Decent chap: GENT
65A: "Star Trek: TNG" character: TROI. No idea. Have never watched "Star Trek", and I don't think I will. Not my cup of tea.
66A: Plant swelling: EDEMA
67A: Transition point: EDGE. Is EDGE a point?
68A: "Back in Black" rockers: AC/DC. The Australian band.
69A: Clan emblem: TOTEM
Down entries:
1D: Chafed: ABRADED
2D: City near Fort Ord: SEA SIDE
3D: Chitchat: PALAVER. I've never used this word in my daily conversation. This word reminds of "parlez vous...", though the pronunciation is different.
10D: Composer Shostakovich: DMITRI. Probably a gimme for our fellow solvers Lois & Feste. I am not acquainted with Shostakovich. The only DMITRI I know is Nationals' DMITRI Young.
12D: Loud noise: CLATTER
13D: Clouseau portrayer: SELLERS. No idea. Not familiar with Peter Sellers and his work.
18D: Actor/Singer Kristofferson: KRIS.
29D: Element No. 86: RADON
39D: Apple choice: ROME
40D: Kidnap victim: HOSTAGE
41D: Plotted: SCHEMED. I like the paralleled structure of 40D & 41D.
45D: Knight's superior: BARONET. My dictionary says it's a title below a baron and above a knight.
46D: Outermost: EXTREME
47D: Explanatory drawing: DIAGRAM
49D: " ___ Fideles": ADESTE
50D: Sensuous: EROTIC. Not a sexy clue any more. Try something exotic!
51D: Golfer Sabbatini: RORY. The South African golfer. Very talented. Not a "the lollipop of mediocrity” for sure. He tied for 2nd at last year's Masters.
57D: Mennen product: AFTA
59D: Cattle poker: PROD
62D: "The Lord of the Rings" baddie: ORC
Ready for a quip/quote puzzle?
C.C.
17A: Seven-time home run champ: RALPH KINER
28A: One operating a dragline excavator: STRIP MINER
36A: Where Flo worked: MEL'S DINER
48A: QE2, for one: OCEAN LINER
61A: Frisco gridder: FORTY- NINER
Sub-theme: JOHN
43A: John's beloved: YOKO
6D: Grisham (John) novel, with "The": CLIENT
23D: John Henry's tool: HAMMER
33D: Economist John Mayard: KEYNES
55D: "John Brown's Body" poet: BENET
I started out very nicely: penned in ASPEN for 1A, had one strawberry, then filled in ANNOYED for 1D. Then I had a quick glance at the author's name and was a bit disconcerted that it was not Philip J. Anderson. I paused at Allan E. Parrish's name and got very nervous immediately.
Remember the EAT HER theme blunder I committed on March 21? Embarrassing! I am sure that my ignorance will continue to bubble up and boil over. Please bear with me.
Anyway, I never gained my confidence back after learning the puzzle author's name, never really gained any toehold at all. It's an extremely grueling trek. I did figure out the theme pretty quickly though. From now on, no more breakfast before puzzle, foods dull my brain. Felt like a lethargic tree sloth UNAU this morning.
Grid: 15*15. Total words count: 74. Total blank squares: 33.
Across entries:
1A: Colorado resort: ASPEN. Let's pack up the T-Bar, Gondola lift and other SKI (38D: Hit the slopes) gears and go back to "Shivering Tree" clue for a while.
2A: Tobacco plug: CHAW
10A: Certain mil. awards: DSCS. DSC is Distinguished Service Cross. Could also be DSO (Distinguished Service Order), or DSM (Distinguished Service Medal).
14A: Former NYC mayor Abe: BEAME. Not familiar with him.
15A: Molten rock: LAVA
16A: Billy or jack: MALE. Billy is a male goat, jack is a male donkey.
19A: Type of type: abbr.: ITAL (Italic)
20A: Thick-brick link: AS A
21A: Quite angry: IRED. Is this even a word?
22A: "Fiddler on the Roof": SHTETL. Ow, what a ridiculous name! "On the other hand", it's a legitimate clue. Shtetl is Yiddish for "small town".
24A: Attacks zealously: DIVES IN
26A: Mountain ridge: ARETE. Repeat offender!
27A: Henry James biographer: EDEL (Leon)
32A: Shortstop Jeter: DEREK. I think I have his rookie card.
40A: Sales channel: HSN (Home Shopping Network). Looks like Rene Aiu is doing a good job.
44A: Dressed like a judge: ROBED
53A: Specter: SHADE
54A: Singer Flack: ROBERTA. My favorite is probably "Killing me softly with his song".
56A: Singer Brewer: TERESA. No, not a familiar name to me.
59A: NOW element: ORG. NOW is National Organization for Women.
64A: Decent chap: GENT
65A: "Star Trek: TNG" character: TROI. No idea. Have never watched "Star Trek", and I don't think I will. Not my cup of tea.
66A: Plant swelling: EDEMA
67A: Transition point: EDGE. Is EDGE a point?
68A: "Back in Black" rockers: AC/DC. The Australian band.
69A: Clan emblem: TOTEM
Down entries:
1D: Chafed: ABRADED
2D: City near Fort Ord: SEA SIDE
3D: Chitchat: PALAVER. I've never used this word in my daily conversation. This word reminds of "parlez vous...", though the pronunciation is different.
10D: Composer Shostakovich: DMITRI. Probably a gimme for our fellow solvers Lois & Feste. I am not acquainted with Shostakovich. The only DMITRI I know is Nationals' DMITRI Young.
12D: Loud noise: CLATTER
13D: Clouseau portrayer: SELLERS. No idea. Not familiar with Peter Sellers and his work.
18D: Actor/Singer Kristofferson: KRIS.
29D: Element No. 86: RADON
39D: Apple choice: ROME
40D: Kidnap victim: HOSTAGE
41D: Plotted: SCHEMED. I like the paralleled structure of 40D & 41D.
45D: Knight's superior: BARONET. My dictionary says it's a title below a baron and above a knight.
46D: Outermost: EXTREME
47D: Explanatory drawing: DIAGRAM
49D: " ___ Fideles": ADESTE
50D: Sensuous: EROTIC. Not a sexy clue any more. Try something exotic!
51D: Golfer Sabbatini: RORY. The South African golfer. Very talented. Not a "the lollipop of mediocrity” for sure. He tied for 2nd at last year's Masters.
57D: Mennen product: AFTA
59D: Cattle poker: PROD
62D: "The Lord of the Rings" baddie: ORC
Ready for a quip/quote puzzle?
C.C.
