Theme: FORTES (Physical, Intellectual & Visual)
17A: Publisher's forte?: MANUAL DEXTERITY
39A: Prevaricator's forte?: MENTAL AGILITY
62A: Diver's forte? DEPTH PERCEPTION
Nope, not an easy Wednesday for me.
Got mired in the mucky upper left corner again. Was not familiar with IGA (2D: Supermarket grp.). Had no idea that AGATE was a printing type. It's always a "Playing marble" to me. I doubt my baseball stat nut husband knows this special size word for the sports data he is poring over every morning. Did not know "MANDRAKE the Magician". Not a fan of comic strip. Only glance over at "Dennis the Menace" occasionally. The crossing of 3D & 17A MAN is very inelegant.
I did not actually experience much resistance in other areas, though I don't think I would've got MIRO & SEWER without the down clues. MIRO is the most vicious clue I've ever seen in TMS crossword. How many people have seen this "Painting" painting? Ridiculous! "Painters on Painting" painter or "Antipainter' painter will be sufficiently challenging!
SEWER clue is very diabolical too. For me, Ed Norton is him, Salma Hayek's ex. Have never heard of "The Honeymooners". Again, without the down clues, I would've failed miserably. I hate the TEX clue (8D: Comboy's handle) too. Want to overawe me? Add a "?" for the clue. Then I will go gaga over your cleverness. (Update: My mistake. I did not know that cowboy is called a TEX. I complicated the whole thing).
Grid: Total letters filled: 187. Total blank squares: 38 (reached the maximum). Total 26 letter As in this puzzle (13% of the filled squares)
Across clues:
1A: FRD coins: DIMES.
6A: Meat pastes: PATÉS. Hmm, Paté de campagine, fresh baguette directly out of a boulangerie, and a bottle of wine. Perfect picnic in Paris, esp if you are in love!
11A: Dupe: SAP. "Soul-sapping" = "Today" extension, indeed Robin (Givhan).
14A: Tiny type size: AGATE. It's "a standard unit of measurement found primarily in newspaper publishing, AGATE is approximately equal to 5 1/2 points or 1/14 of an inch. The very small type used for statistical data in the sports and stock sections of a newspaper is agate type." It's also used to display legal notices in newspapers. Considered to be the smallest point size that can be printed on newsprint.
20A: Cash in Iraq: DINAR. No "Bread in Iraq?". Guess the Editor is not in the mood to dance around with us this morning. Good, we need straight & honest answers about Iraq, everything! Where did the $9 billion OIL revenue go? FYI, DINAR is also the currency in Iran, Jordan and a few other countries in Middle Eastern countries.
22A: Long, thin fish: GAR. OK, they do look long and thin. I've never had GAR before.
24A: Perspiring: SWEATY
28A: "Painting" painter. MIRO (Joan). Would you get this one without the down clues?
31A: Ed Norton's "Office": SEWER. Is it a gimme for you?
34A: Bury the hatchet: MAKE UP
43A: Seer's deck: TAROT
49A: German philosopher: HEGEL. Ah, the Dialectics guy. Karl Marx adopted his theory and formed his own "Dialectical Materialism". My middle school headache!!
51A: __ fide (in bad faith): MALA. I am always confused by this translation. "MALA fide" looks like "bad faith' to me, where is the preposition "in"?
57A: "All Things Considered" network: NPR. Do you like Robert Segal? I do.
19A: Major artery: AORTA
70A: Bandleader shaw Shaw: ARTIE. Repeat offender.
73A: Electrical pioneer: TESLA (Nicola). Also, unit of magnetic flux density.
Down clues:
2D: Supermarket grp.: IGA (Independent Grocers' Alliance)
3D: Magician of comics: MANDRAKE. MANDRAKE the Magician. Sigh.
4D: Pin box: ETUI. OK, one more ETUI for you.
5D: Astin and Hayes: SEANS. Knew Sean Astin. Sean Haynes, no!
6D: San Diego team: PADRES
8D: Cowboy's handle: TEX (Fletcher). This guy is so prolific, he reminds me of Willie Nelson's career. "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys". (Ugh, I entangled myself on this one, sorry for the mistake).
13D: Walter in the NFL Hall of Fame: PAYTON. Ha ha, finally a HOFer I know.
19D: Sleep sate: R. E. M. Enough of this word. Go back to sleep pls!
23D: Composer Khachaturian: ARAM
25D: Infused with oxygen: AERATED. I wonder why golf course green keepers aerate their greens in autumn rather than in spring time.
27D: Abominable snowmen: YETIS
32D: Move, in realtor-speak: RELO
35D: Jazz state: UTAH
38D: Thailand's last name?: SIAM. Great clue. Here is information I got from Wikipedia :" The country's official name was Siam until 23 June 1939, when it was changed to Thailand; it was renamed Siam between 1945 and 11 May 1949, after which the name Thailand was once again adopted". So Thailand's last name before Thailand is indeed SIAM.
40D: Theater section: LOGE
41D: Passages: TRANSITS
45D: __ es-Salaam: DAR. Again, the across clues saved me. "DAR es-Salaam" is Arabic word for "Abode of Peace'. Dar means "house". Salaam is "peace". Wikipedia says that the commonly known "Haven of Peace" translation is an erroneous.
46D: Large crowds: HORDES
47D: UFO crew?: ALIEN. Why the question mark?
48D: Tyrant: DESPOT
50D: East Indian sailor: LASCAR. Also spelled as LASHKAR. Probably a gimme for Governor Bobby Jindal or CNN's Zain Verjee. It's an impossible for me without the across clues.
55D: Dundee refusal: NAE
56D: 3/17 honoree: ST. PAT.
59D: Spurious imitation: SHAM
63D: Luau dish: POI. I've never had POI before. I do like steamed/baked taro though.
66D: Texas tea: OIL. Good clue. A bit groan on TEX, Texas though.
67D: Performance grants org.: NEA (National Endowment for the Arts).
Alright, I am ready for a torturous QUIP. Go ahead, make my day!
C.C.
17A: Publisher's forte?: MANUAL DEXTERITY
39A: Prevaricator's forte?: MENTAL AGILITY
62A: Diver's forte? DEPTH PERCEPTION
Nope, not an easy Wednesday for me.
Got mired in the mucky upper left corner again. Was not familiar with IGA (2D: Supermarket grp.). Had no idea that AGATE was a printing type. It's always a "Playing marble" to me. I doubt my baseball stat nut husband knows this special size word for the sports data he is poring over every morning. Did not know "MANDRAKE the Magician". Not a fan of comic strip. Only glance over at "Dennis the Menace" occasionally. The crossing of 3D & 17A MAN is very inelegant.
I did not actually experience much resistance in other areas, though I don't think I would've got MIRO & SEWER without the down clues. MIRO is the most vicious clue I've ever seen in TMS crossword. How many people have seen this "Painting" painting? Ridiculous! "Painters on Painting" painter or "Antipainter' painter will be sufficiently challenging!
SEWER clue is very diabolical too. For me, Ed Norton is him, Salma Hayek's ex. Have never heard of "The Honeymooners". Again, without the down clues, I would've failed miserably. I hate the TEX clue (8D: Comboy's handle) too. Want to overawe me? Add a "?" for the clue. Then I will go gaga over your cleverness. (Update: My mistake. I did not know that cowboy is called a TEX. I complicated the whole thing).
Grid: Total letters filled: 187. Total blank squares: 38 (reached the maximum). Total 26 letter As in this puzzle (13% of the filled squares)
Across clues:
1A: FRD coins: DIMES.
6A: Meat pastes: PATÉS. Hmm, Paté de campagine, fresh baguette directly out of a boulangerie, and a bottle of wine. Perfect picnic in Paris, esp if you are in love!
11A: Dupe: SAP. "Soul-sapping" = "Today" extension, indeed Robin (Givhan).
14A: Tiny type size: AGATE. It's "a standard unit of measurement found primarily in newspaper publishing, AGATE is approximately equal to 5 1/2 points or 1/14 of an inch. The very small type used for statistical data in the sports and stock sections of a newspaper is agate type." It's also used to display legal notices in newspapers. Considered to be the smallest point size that can be printed on newsprint.
20A: Cash in Iraq: DINAR. No "Bread in Iraq?". Guess the Editor is not in the mood to dance around with us this morning. Good, we need straight & honest answers about Iraq, everything! Where did the $9 billion OIL revenue go? FYI, DINAR is also the currency in Iran, Jordan and a few other countries in Middle Eastern countries.
22A: Long, thin fish: GAR. OK, they do look long and thin. I've never had GAR before.
24A: Perspiring: SWEATY
28A: "Painting" painter. MIRO (Joan). Would you get this one without the down clues?
31A: Ed Norton's "Office": SEWER. Is it a gimme for you?
34A: Bury the hatchet: MAKE UP
43A: Seer's deck: TAROT
49A: German philosopher: HEGEL. Ah, the Dialectics guy. Karl Marx adopted his theory and formed his own "Dialectical Materialism". My middle school headache!!
51A: __ fide (in bad faith): MALA. I am always confused by this translation. "MALA fide" looks like "bad faith' to me, where is the preposition "in"?
57A: "All Things Considered" network: NPR. Do you like Robert Segal? I do.
19A: Major artery: AORTA
70A: Bandleader shaw Shaw: ARTIE. Repeat offender.
73A: Electrical pioneer: TESLA (Nicola). Also, unit of magnetic flux density.
Down clues:
2D: Supermarket grp.: IGA (Independent Grocers' Alliance)
3D: Magician of comics: MANDRAKE. MANDRAKE the Magician. Sigh.
4D: Pin box: ETUI. OK, one more ETUI for you.
5D: Astin and Hayes: SEANS. Knew Sean Astin. Sean Haynes, no!
6D: San Diego team: PADRES
8D: Cowboy's handle: TEX (Fletcher). This guy is so prolific, he reminds me of Willie Nelson's career. "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys". (Ugh, I entangled myself on this one, sorry for the mistake).
13D: Walter in the NFL Hall of Fame: PAYTON. Ha ha, finally a HOFer I know.
19D: Sleep sate: R. E. M. Enough of this word. Go back to sleep pls!
23D: Composer Khachaturian: ARAM
25D: Infused with oxygen: AERATED. I wonder why golf course green keepers aerate their greens in autumn rather than in spring time.
27D: Abominable snowmen: YETIS
32D: Move, in realtor-speak: RELO
35D: Jazz state: UTAH
38D: Thailand's last name?: SIAM. Great clue. Here is information I got from Wikipedia :" The country's official name was Siam until 23 June 1939, when it was changed to Thailand; it was renamed Siam between 1945 and 11 May 1949, after which the name Thailand was once again adopted". So Thailand's last name before Thailand is indeed SIAM.
40D: Theater section: LOGE
41D: Passages: TRANSITS
45D: __ es-Salaam: DAR. Again, the across clues saved me. "DAR es-Salaam" is Arabic word for "Abode of Peace'. Dar means "house". Salaam is "peace". Wikipedia says that the commonly known "Haven of Peace" translation is an erroneous.
46D: Large crowds: HORDES
47D: UFO crew?: ALIEN. Why the question mark?
48D: Tyrant: DESPOT
50D: East Indian sailor: LASCAR. Also spelled as LASHKAR. Probably a gimme for Governor Bobby Jindal or CNN's Zain Verjee. It's an impossible for me without the across clues.
55D: Dundee refusal: NAE
56D: 3/17 honoree: ST. PAT.
59D: Spurious imitation: SHAM
63D: Luau dish: POI. I've never had POI before. I do like steamed/baked taro though.
66D: Texas tea: OIL. Good clue. A bit groan on TEX, Texas though.
67D: Performance grants org.: NEA (National Endowment for the Arts).
Alright, I am ready for a torturous QUIP. Go ahead, make my day!
C.C.
