Theme: NONE
I feel that our editor has been saving this themeless puzzle just for this specific Saturday to coincide with Pope Benedict's visit. There are 2 "Christian"s in the clue, and "Book, bk, bks". NICENE, ECCLES, and BABI all have some religious overtone. And 9D: CISTERCIAN (under the rule of St. Benedict) is kind of self-revealing, isn't it? Or maybe I am just over-stretching my imagination?
I tanked again today. I think I am still in my C. C. Sabathia style slump now, "My arms feel fine, I just can't command either side of the plate".
I actually had a shock and awe start, filling in APERÇUS, CYCLIST TONG, UPSET and SATRAP like they were all sweet "OREO". I dazzled myself by conquering the whole upper left corner in less than 3 minutes. Then I rushed to the other battle fields eager to vanquish all the insurgents. But I was greeted with heavy resistance everywhere I set my feet upon. Horrible. I could not even get TONELESS for 63A. My TREELESS stood proudly there until the very end.
ACROSS:
1A: Signed for: ACCEPTED
9A: Of the ribs: COSTAL. No idea. The root word is "costa", Latin for rib.
15A: Disappearing communication device: PAY PHONE
16A: Glacial epoch: ICE AGE
17A: Some of Whistler's works: ETCHING. Did not know who Whistler was, but the answer was easily inferable.
18A: Molded: SHAPED
19A: Death rattle: RALE. Pure guess. I forgot this word.
20A: Sparkling: GLISTENING
22A: Weather of a region, so to speak: CLIME. Poetically I suppose?
24A: Organic compound: ESTER
26A: Underdog wins: UPSETS
28A: Rocky outcrops: TORS. Great picture. Want to take a walk?
30A: Petty tyrant: SATRAP. Nailed it this time.
31A: Part of ASCAP: SOC (Society). Don't like it. This abbreviation just doesn't fit my eyes.
32A: Soviet news agcy.: TASS (Abbreviation of Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union, in Russian). Ah, gimme for me, mainly because of my intense interest in him for a short period of time. Now it's ITAR-TASS in Russia, with ITAR focusing on domestic news and TASS on international affairs. Oh, the Soviet newspaper is PRAVDA (The Truth).
35A: Designer Christian: DIOR. J'adore! For those who dare, try Poison, in the evening!
37A: Webber play: CATS
42A: Humiliated: ABASED
47A: Icelandic epic: EDDA
48A: Creed of Christians: NICENE. Nicene Creed. No idea.
49A: One of a set of bks: VOL
50A: Black suit: CLUBS. Good clue.
52A: Certain dagger: SKEAN. Hmm, this would be the second time Dennis met with Ms. SKEAN. Hope he remembered her name.
53A: Free from bondage: EMANCIPATE. Like this Emancipation of Mimi? Very creative name for her latest album: E=MC2. I figure it's "The Emancipation = Mariah Carey 2". What does that 2 stand for then?
56A: Persian sect: BABI. Now replaced by Baha'i. I wanted SHIA.
57A: Tex-Mex pick: TAMALE
58A: Word for barely acceptable writing: READABLE
61A: Signer-upper: ENROLLER. What the heck is "Signer-Upper"? Is it the person who "Sign-up?"
62A: Hereditary ruler: DYNAST. Ah, that's how we got Dynasty! Good to know.
63A: Lacking shading: TONELESS
DOWN:
1D: Revealing glimpses: APERÇUS. Or a synopsis.
2D: Tree with trumpet-shaped flowers: CATALPA. See this picture. I can smell summer.
3D: Tour-de-France racer: CYCLIST
4D: Transitory things: EPHEMERAS. The plural form can also be EPHEMERAE. Don't you wish you saved all your childhood ticket stubs/programs? Stunning price on Ebay!
5D: Greek letter: PHI. Ugh, dislike the clue due to 23D. Can't you reclue this as something Philly related, to salve the wounds of those depressed Philly fans? Good job, Santana, you rocked last night!
6D: Chinese secret society: TONG (堂). Literally "assembly hall". In fact, it's a "Chinese American secret society". You won't find TONG in modern China.
7D: Writer Medeleine L'___: ENGLE. No, completely unknown to me. Oh, she also graduated from Smith College, she might have bumped into Sylvia Plath then.
8D: Stops: DESISTS
9D: Member of an austere monastic order: CISTERCIAN. It's "a member of an order of monks and nuns founded in 1098 at Cîteaux, near Dijon, France, under the rule of St. Benedict." Looks like the word CISTERCIAN is derived from Cîteaux the site.
10D: Earthy pigments: OCHERS. Here is more information for you. Drdad probably knows a ton about this stuff.
12D: Starch from cassava root: TAPIOCA. "Tapioca Pearl Tea" is a very popular drink in Southern China and Southeast Asia.
13D: Meeting schedules: AGENDAS
14D: Business books: LEDGERS. Too bad, Mr. Higgins missed a precious opportunity to pay tribute to Heath Ledger. It's so hard letting you go, Heath, you were so young!
21D: Arose: STOOD. I mis-read this clue as "Arouse".
23D: Greek letters: ETAS
27D: Most long, thin, and frail-looking: SPINDLIEST. This guy is really getting very wordy today.
32D: Monitor cursor mover: TRACKBALL
34D: Sick and tired: FED UP. That's how I felt about the whole Bittergate brouhaha. Crazy!
37D: Wished for excessively and culpably: COVETED. Oh, that's what "COVET" means! Thank you for the detailed explanation. Should I stop coveting certain things then?
38D: Incongruity: ANOMALY
39D: Father of Ajax: TELAMON. No, no idea. The dictionary says he is "an Argonaut and friend of Hercules, and the father of Ajax and Teucer." It also says that TELAMON is "a figure of a man used as a supporting pillar." It looks like this.
41D: Striped fabric: TABARET. It's "a durable silk or acetate fabric having alternating stripes of satin and moiré, for drapery and upholstery."
43D: Within view: SEEABLE
45D: Makes possible: ENABLES
45D: Withholders: DENIERS. This suffix of "er" sounds so arbitrary to me.
47D: Bk. of the Old Testament: ECCLES (Ecclesiasticus). Just found out that ECCLES, the Australian neurophsiologist, won Noble Prize (Physiology/Medicine) in 1963.
51D: Off. skill: STENO
C.C.
I feel that our editor has been saving this themeless puzzle just for this specific Saturday to coincide with Pope Benedict's visit. There are 2 "Christian"s in the clue, and "Book, bk, bks". NICENE, ECCLES, and BABI all have some religious overtone. And 9D: CISTERCIAN (under the rule of St. Benedict) is kind of self-revealing, isn't it? Or maybe I am just over-stretching my imagination?
I tanked again today. I think I am still in my C. C. Sabathia style slump now, "My arms feel fine, I just can't command either side of the plate".
I actually had a shock and awe start, filling in APERÇUS, CYCLIST TONG, UPSET and SATRAP like they were all sweet "OREO". I dazzled myself by conquering the whole upper left corner in less than 3 minutes. Then I rushed to the other battle fields eager to vanquish all the insurgents. But I was greeted with heavy resistance everywhere I set my feet upon. Horrible. I could not even get TONELESS for 63A. My TREELESS stood proudly there until the very end.
ACROSS:
1A: Signed for: ACCEPTED
9A: Of the ribs: COSTAL. No idea. The root word is "costa", Latin for rib.
15A: Disappearing communication device: PAY PHONE
16A: Glacial epoch: ICE AGE
17A: Some of Whistler's works: ETCHING. Did not know who Whistler was, but the answer was easily inferable.
18A: Molded: SHAPED
19A: Death rattle: RALE. Pure guess. I forgot this word.
20A: Sparkling: GLISTENING
22A: Weather of a region, so to speak: CLIME. Poetically I suppose?
24A: Organic compound: ESTER
26A: Underdog wins: UPSETS
28A: Rocky outcrops: TORS. Great picture. Want to take a walk?
30A: Petty tyrant: SATRAP. Nailed it this time.
31A: Part of ASCAP: SOC (Society). Don't like it. This abbreviation just doesn't fit my eyes.
32A: Soviet news agcy.: TASS (Abbreviation of Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union, in Russian). Ah, gimme for me, mainly because of my intense interest in him for a short period of time. Now it's ITAR-TASS in Russia, with ITAR focusing on domestic news and TASS on international affairs. Oh, the Soviet newspaper is PRAVDA (The Truth).
35A: Designer Christian: DIOR. J'adore! For those who dare, try Poison, in the evening!
37A: Webber play: CATS
42A: Humiliated: ABASED
47A: Icelandic epic: EDDA
48A: Creed of Christians: NICENE. Nicene Creed. No idea.
49A: One of a set of bks: VOL
50A: Black suit: CLUBS. Good clue.
52A: Certain dagger: SKEAN. Hmm, this would be the second time Dennis met with Ms. SKEAN. Hope he remembered her name.
53A: Free from bondage: EMANCIPATE. Like this Emancipation of Mimi? Very creative name for her latest album: E=MC2. I figure it's "The Emancipation = Mariah Carey 2". What does that 2 stand for then?
56A: Persian sect: BABI. Now replaced by Baha'i. I wanted SHIA.
57A: Tex-Mex pick: TAMALE
58A: Word for barely acceptable writing: READABLE
61A: Signer-upper: ENROLLER. What the heck is "Signer-Upper"? Is it the person who "Sign-up?"
62A: Hereditary ruler: DYNAST. Ah, that's how we got Dynasty! Good to know.
63A: Lacking shading: TONELESS
DOWN:
1D: Revealing glimpses: APERÇUS. Or a synopsis.
2D: Tree with trumpet-shaped flowers: CATALPA. See this picture. I can smell summer.
3D: Tour-de-France racer: CYCLIST
4D: Transitory things: EPHEMERAS. The plural form can also be EPHEMERAE. Don't you wish you saved all your childhood ticket stubs/programs? Stunning price on Ebay!
5D: Greek letter: PHI. Ugh, dislike the clue due to 23D. Can't you reclue this as something Philly related, to salve the wounds of those depressed Philly fans? Good job, Santana, you rocked last night!
6D: Chinese secret society: TONG (堂). Literally "assembly hall". In fact, it's a "Chinese American secret society". You won't find TONG in modern China.
7D: Writer Medeleine L'___: ENGLE. No, completely unknown to me. Oh, she also graduated from Smith College, she might have bumped into Sylvia Plath then.
8D: Stops: DESISTS
9D: Member of an austere monastic order: CISTERCIAN. It's "a member of an order of monks and nuns founded in 1098 at Cîteaux, near Dijon, France, under the rule of St. Benedict." Looks like the word CISTERCIAN is derived from Cîteaux the site.
10D: Earthy pigments: OCHERS. Here is more information for you. Drdad probably knows a ton about this stuff.
12D: Starch from cassava root: TAPIOCA. "Tapioca Pearl Tea" is a very popular drink in Southern China and Southeast Asia.
13D: Meeting schedules: AGENDAS
14D: Business books: LEDGERS. Too bad, Mr. Higgins missed a precious opportunity to pay tribute to Heath Ledger. It's so hard letting you go, Heath, you were so young!
21D: Arose: STOOD. I mis-read this clue as "Arouse".
23D: Greek letters: ETAS
27D: Most long, thin, and frail-looking: SPINDLIEST. This guy is really getting very wordy today.
32D: Monitor cursor mover: TRACKBALL
34D: Sick and tired: FED UP. That's how I felt about the whole Bittergate brouhaha. Crazy!
37D: Wished for excessively and culpably: COVETED. Oh, that's what "COVET" means! Thank you for the detailed explanation. Should I stop coveting certain things then?
38D: Incongruity: ANOMALY
39D: Father of Ajax: TELAMON. No, no idea. The dictionary says he is "an Argonaut and friend of Hercules, and the father of Ajax and Teucer." It also says that TELAMON is "a figure of a man used as a supporting pillar." It looks like this.
41D: Striped fabric: TABARET. It's "a durable silk or acetate fabric having alternating stripes of satin and moiré, for drapery and upholstery."
43D: Within view: SEEABLE
45D: Makes possible: ENABLES
45D: Withholders: DENIERS. This suffix of "er" sounds so arbitrary to me.
47D: Bk. of the Old Testament: ECCLES (Ecclesiasticus). Just found out that ECCLES, the Australian neurophsiologist, won Noble Prize (Physiology/Medicine) in 1963.
51D: Off. skill: STENO
C.C.
