Theme: RE LOCATION
18A: Baltimore attraction: INNER HARBOR
60A: Sci-fi TV series, with "The": OUTER LIMITS
3D: Elite: UPPER CRUST
30D: Politician's promise: LOWER TAXES
Am I dreaming? Didn't we just solve a location themed puzzle several weeks' ago? Wait...OK, here it is: INNER, OUTER, UPPER & LOWER. Wow, so similar a grid structure! And UPPER CRUST & OUTER LIMITS remain unchanged. Look at the clue for 3D: Elite, exactly the same, unbelievable! This constructor Barry Silk may not be aware of it, but Mr. Williams certainly is, or should be. What a sloppy job he has been doing!
Quite a few abbreviations today: GOP, AWOL, STRS, NCAR, NACL (47D: Salt), IRA (9D: Portfolio letters?), SSGT (32D: Army NCO). Solving this puzzle this morning feels like watching a MOVIE (29D: Film version), lots of emotional ups and downs, full of SPIRIT (4D: Verve). The grid is blanketed with emotional words:
20A: Gloomy, poetically: DREAR
39A: Courage: BRAVERY. Parallel with AWOL (35A: Mil. no-show).
45A: Sassy: PERT
68A: Peevish: TESTY
49D: Swank: CLASSY
53D: Hazardous: RISKY
Plus SLY, though it's clued as "Stallone, to pals". And add LOOMS (37A: Is imminent), PAST (45D: Gone by), ALONE (64A: Lacking a partner), and of course MIRACLES (29A: Divine intervention). And we have Car (AUDI, REO), BOAT and plane (LEAR). With ABBA singing along, what a great MOVIE! But where can you find (such) AREEL (57D: Tottering)?
I had to flirt with Google to finish this puzzle. I was overly excited seeing TWINS in the puzzle that I could not think clearly.
ACROSS:
4A: One-time Alaskan capital: SITKA. Did not know this. Dictionary says "It's founded by Aleksandr Baranov in 1799, it was the capital of Russian America and later the capital of Alaska from 1867 to 1906". This word reminds me of the tough SIKA (Japanese deer) clue awhile ago.
14A: Republicans: GOP (Grand Old Party). Hmm, looks like Mr. Williams has adopted a "Fair & Balanced" attitude. Good, I yawn with ENNUI at every DEM(S) fill. But who buys LOWER TAXES promise anyway?
15A: Corsican patriot: PAOLI. Pasquale di PAOLI. Not a familiar name to me. I've barely heard of Corsica (Napoléon's birthplace). Wikipedia cited a 1768 NY Journal quote saying PAOLI was "the greatest man on earth". He must be very influential during 18th century then.
24A: Word with crescent or imagination: FERTILE. FERTILE crescent is new to me. It's "A region of the Middle East arching across the northern part of the Syrian Desert and extending from the Nile Valley to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The civilizations of Egypt, Phoenicia, Assyria, and Babylonia developed in this area, which was also the site of numerous migrations and invasions."
26A: Quattro automaker: AUDI. I am waiting 4 QUATTRO to be clued someday.
33A: Long-lasting do: PERM. And 41A: Sham locks: WIG
42A: Calf catcher: LASSO
44A: Ordered: TIDY
46A: Small amount: PITTANCE. And 21D: ATOM, though it's clued as Nuclear energy source.
51A: Early satellite: TELSTAR. I did not know this before. What does it stand for? Television Star or what? Wikipedia says a segment of Phillies vs Cubs game was broadcast live via the first TELSTAR TV signal relay on June 23, 1962. Then JFK gave his first live transatlantic press conference via TELSTAR.
54A: Mr. Mertz: FRED. Unknown to me. I've only watched a few clips of I LOVE LUCY.
59A: Video game pioneer: ATARI
DOWN:
1D: Lines on a staff: EGBDF. What's your favorite treble clef mnemonic?
2D: Sculptor Henry: MOORE. Nope, noo familiar with his name. Rae probably knows him well. Wikipedia says he is "best known for his abstract monumental bronzes" and his subject is nearly always a woman. See this Three Pieces Recling Figure.
6D: British weight: TONNE. Hmm, Mortise's Partner anagrammed. Interesting.
7D: Swiss artist Paul: KLEE. The only Swiss painter I know of. His works are too surreal for me. What can see from this The Twittering Machine? Those birds just look so weird. Are they twittering?
8D: Posted by plane: AIRMAILED
0D: Roofed walkway: PORTICO. Look at this PORTICO of Pantheon in Rome.
11D: "Waterloo" pop group: ABBA. They won Eurovision 1974 for this song. But I like Dancing Queen.
3D: Ocean passages: abbr. STRS (STRAITS). First time I saw this abbreviation.
25D: Small jet maker: LEAR (Bill). Have never heard of his name or LEARjet. Only know King LEAR.
33D: Insect's feeler: PALP. Another new word for me. Could also be PALPUS (PALPI is plural form)
36D: Index of flagged terrorists: WATCH LIST. DECK of CARDS came to my mind first.
43D: Pupil: STUDENT. Lots of people were perplexed by yesterday's ÉLÈVES (55A: French classful) clue. In French, ÉLÈVES simply means pupils (in École, Collèges and Lycées). But more often you see them ÉTUDIANTS (m) or ÉTUDIANTES (f) in French universities. ÉLÈVE is actually a very broad term. It can refer to anyone, whether enfant, adolescent or adult, full time or part time.
56D: School since 1440: ETON. Good to know. HARROW was founded in 1571.
C.C.
18A: Baltimore attraction: INNER HARBOR
60A: Sci-fi TV series, with "The": OUTER LIMITS
3D: Elite: UPPER CRUST
30D: Politician's promise: LOWER TAXES
Am I dreaming? Didn't we just solve a location themed puzzle several weeks' ago? Wait...OK, here it is: INNER, OUTER, UPPER & LOWER. Wow, so similar a grid structure! And UPPER CRUST & OUTER LIMITS remain unchanged. Look at the clue for 3D: Elite, exactly the same, unbelievable! This constructor Barry Silk may not be aware of it, but Mr. Williams certainly is, or should be. What a sloppy job he has been doing!
Quite a few abbreviations today: GOP, AWOL, STRS, NCAR, NACL (47D: Salt), IRA (9D: Portfolio letters?), SSGT (32D: Army NCO). Solving this puzzle this morning feels like watching a MOVIE (29D: Film version), lots of emotional ups and downs, full of SPIRIT (4D: Verve). The grid is blanketed with emotional words:
20A: Gloomy, poetically: DREAR
39A: Courage: BRAVERY. Parallel with AWOL (35A: Mil. no-show).
45A: Sassy: PERT
68A: Peevish: TESTY
49D: Swank: CLASSY
53D: Hazardous: RISKY
Plus SLY, though it's clued as "Stallone, to pals". And add LOOMS (37A: Is imminent), PAST (45D: Gone by), ALONE (64A: Lacking a partner), and of course MIRACLES (29A: Divine intervention). And we have Car (AUDI, REO), BOAT and plane (LEAR). With ABBA singing along, what a great MOVIE! But where can you find (such) AREEL (57D: Tottering)?
I had to flirt with Google to finish this puzzle. I was overly excited seeing TWINS in the puzzle that I could not think clearly.
ACROSS:
4A: One-time Alaskan capital: SITKA. Did not know this. Dictionary says "It's founded by Aleksandr Baranov in 1799, it was the capital of Russian America and later the capital of Alaska from 1867 to 1906". This word reminds me of the tough SIKA (Japanese deer) clue awhile ago.
14A: Republicans: GOP (Grand Old Party). Hmm, looks like Mr. Williams has adopted a "Fair & Balanced" attitude. Good, I yawn with ENNUI at every DEM(S) fill. But who buys LOWER TAXES promise anyway?
15A: Corsican patriot: PAOLI. Pasquale di PAOLI. Not a familiar name to me. I've barely heard of Corsica (Napoléon's birthplace). Wikipedia cited a 1768 NY Journal quote saying PAOLI was "the greatest man on earth". He must be very influential during 18th century then.
24A: Word with crescent or imagination: FERTILE. FERTILE crescent is new to me. It's "A region of the Middle East arching across the northern part of the Syrian Desert and extending from the Nile Valley to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The civilizations of Egypt, Phoenicia, Assyria, and Babylonia developed in this area, which was also the site of numerous migrations and invasions."
26A: Quattro automaker: AUDI. I am waiting 4 QUATTRO to be clued someday.
33A: Long-lasting do: PERM. And 41A: Sham locks: WIG
42A: Calf catcher: LASSO
44A: Ordered: TIDY
46A: Small amount: PITTANCE. And 21D: ATOM, though it's clued as Nuclear energy source.
51A: Early satellite: TELSTAR. I did not know this before. What does it stand for? Television Star or what? Wikipedia says a segment of Phillies vs Cubs game was broadcast live via the first TELSTAR TV signal relay on June 23, 1962. Then JFK gave his first live transatlantic press conference via TELSTAR.
54A: Mr. Mertz: FRED. Unknown to me. I've only watched a few clips of I LOVE LUCY.
59A: Video game pioneer: ATARI
DOWN:
1D: Lines on a staff: EGBDF. What's your favorite treble clef mnemonic?
2D: Sculptor Henry: MOORE. Nope, noo familiar with his name. Rae probably knows him well. Wikipedia says he is "best known for his abstract monumental bronzes" and his subject is nearly always a woman. See this Three Pieces Recling Figure.
6D: British weight: TONNE. Hmm, Mortise's Partner anagrammed. Interesting.
7D: Swiss artist Paul: KLEE. The only Swiss painter I know of. His works are too surreal for me. What can see from this The Twittering Machine? Those birds just look so weird. Are they twittering?
8D: Posted by plane: AIRMAILED
0D: Roofed walkway: PORTICO. Look at this PORTICO of Pantheon in Rome.
11D: "Waterloo" pop group: ABBA. They won Eurovision 1974 for this song. But I like Dancing Queen.
3D: Ocean passages: abbr. STRS (STRAITS). First time I saw this abbreviation.
25D: Small jet maker: LEAR (Bill). Have never heard of his name or LEARjet. Only know King LEAR.
33D: Insect's feeler: PALP. Another new word for me. Could also be PALPUS (PALPI is plural form)
36D: Index of flagged terrorists: WATCH LIST. DECK of CARDS came to my mind first.
43D: Pupil: STUDENT. Lots of people were perplexed by yesterday's ÉLÈVES (55A: French classful) clue. In French, ÉLÈVES simply means pupils (in École, Collèges and Lycées). But more often you see them ÉTUDIANTS (m) or ÉTUDIANTES (f) in French universities. ÉLÈVE is actually a very broad term. It can refer to anyone, whether enfant, adolescent or adult, full time or part time.
56D: School since 1440: ETON. Good to know. HARROW was founded in 1571.
C.C.
