Theme: It appears that...
17A: Don't know for sure, but...: SO THEY SAY
56A: Don't quote me, but...: THE WORD IS
11D: According to the grapevine...: REPORTEDLY
28D: From people in the know...: RUMOR HAS IT
Well, "What happened" to Scott McClellan? If ONLY (63A: Were it not that) his conscience had ached years earlier! But it's NICE (23D: Pleasant) to HEAR (38D: Get wind of) his insider's story. At least, it VALIDATES (34D: Corroborates) what Paul O'Neil/Richard Clarke have been saying all along. Hello, are you there General Powell? Now that McClellan has come clean, when will you SET yourself FREE (40D: Release)?
Easy breeze this morning, no obscure word or any stumbling block. This puzzle does not feel like Norma Steinberg's though. There is no baseball reference and her puzzles always appear on Wednesdays now.
ACROSS:
1A: What follows function: FORM. Stumped immediately. Would've not got it without the down clues. Does this refer to the architectural term "FORM follows function" or what?
14A: Flapjack chain: IHOP (International House of Pancakes). IHOP does not have any branch in Asia/Europe, neither does their subsidiary Applebee's I believe. So it might be tough for our fellow solvers there.
19A: Money in Madras: RUPEE. I've never heard of Madras. Dictionary says it's a former name of current Indian state Tamil Nadu or its capital Chennai. Why use an old name for clue then? For alliteration purpose?
20A: LBJ's V. P.: HHH (Hubert Horatio Humphrey). Twins play at the HHH Metrodome. Another MN reference: 21A: Ducklike birds: LOONS. Our State birds.
24A: ___ sanctum: INNER
29A: Gulf War missile: SCUD
34A: Salome's costume: VEILS. And the EMIR (43A: Abu Dhabi ruler) always wear kaffiyeh.
36A: Eternal city: ROME. And 2 more Italy references: 16A: Fountain for wishes: TREVI and 37A: Venetian byway: CANAL.
41A: Misrepresent: BELIE
48A: Babushka: SCARF. These babushkas look pretty.
60A: Coarse seaweed: KELP. Perfect clue. KELP (Kombu in Japanese) is indeed very grainy and coarse. It's the vegetarian source of dashi soup (miso base). Not my favorite. I love nori. You can get both from EDEN (52D: Adam's address) Foods (the oldest natural food company in the US). The clue for 10D: Coarse (CRUDE) could have been reworded to something sweet to avoid the double appearance of "Coarse" and misguide solvers, you know, like sweet CRUDE oil.
55A: Proverbial weeper: LOSER. This clue reminds me of the "Mythical crier' (NIOBE) we had awhile ago.
59A: "___ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE. Für Lois.
DOWN:
5D: Exit: WAY OUT. Just learned that WAY-OUT means "Exotic or esoteric in character". Interesting how a dash can completely change the meaning of a phrase.
9D: Maroons: STRANDS. Tell me what three items you would like to have if you were STRANDED on a deserted island.
13D: Comportment: MIEN. Can never forget this gritty MIEN of the Marboro Man. A Marine.
27D: Old battle-ax: CRONE. I had no idea that "battle-ax" is slang for aggressive old woman. I thought it was a kind of antiqued weapon.
29D: Man of La Mancha: SEÑOR. Hmm, very interesting. "Man of La Mancha" is also the name of a musical which won 5 Tony Awards in 1965. Peter O'Toole and Sophie Loren starred in the film version. OK, if you see O'TOOLE clued as "Man of La Mancha"? in the future, remember you first see it here.
31D: Clarinetist Shaw: ARTIE. Lady Be Good!
26D: Thong: STRAP. The flip-flop. Is the G-String Thong too much for you?
41D: Popeye's nemesis: BLUTO. "So you don't like spinach?"
46D: Looks ___ everything: AREN'T. Is that so, Aishwarya Rai? Would you accept 30M RUPEES for a film in Hollywood?
48D: Oscar Madison, for one: SLOB. I did not know who Oscar Madison was, again, the across clues took care of it.
53D: Humorist Rogers: WILL. He said "RUMOR travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth." Something for you to distort and QUIP, Mr. Alan P. Olschwang!
C.C.
17A: Don't know for sure, but...: SO THEY SAY
56A: Don't quote me, but...: THE WORD IS
11D: According to the grapevine...: REPORTEDLY
28D: From people in the know...: RUMOR HAS IT
Well, "What happened" to Scott McClellan? If ONLY (63A: Were it not that) his conscience had ached years earlier! But it's NICE (23D: Pleasant) to HEAR (38D: Get wind of) his insider's story. At least, it VALIDATES (34D: Corroborates) what Paul O'Neil/Richard Clarke have been saying all along. Hello, are you there General Powell? Now that McClellan has come clean, when will you SET yourself FREE (40D: Release)?
Easy breeze this morning, no obscure word or any stumbling block. This puzzle does not feel like Norma Steinberg's though. There is no baseball reference and her puzzles always appear on Wednesdays now.
ACROSS:
1A: What follows function: FORM. Stumped immediately. Would've not got it without the down clues. Does this refer to the architectural term "FORM follows function" or what?
14A: Flapjack chain: IHOP (International House of Pancakes). IHOP does not have any branch in Asia/Europe, neither does their subsidiary Applebee's I believe. So it might be tough for our fellow solvers there.
19A: Money in Madras: RUPEE. I've never heard of Madras. Dictionary says it's a former name of current Indian state Tamil Nadu or its capital Chennai. Why use an old name for clue then? For alliteration purpose?
20A: LBJ's V. P.: HHH (Hubert Horatio Humphrey). Twins play at the HHH Metrodome. Another MN reference: 21A: Ducklike birds: LOONS. Our State birds.
24A: ___ sanctum: INNER
29A: Gulf War missile: SCUD
34A: Salome's costume: VEILS. And the EMIR (43A: Abu Dhabi ruler) always wear kaffiyeh.
36A: Eternal city: ROME. And 2 more Italy references: 16A: Fountain for wishes: TREVI and 37A: Venetian byway: CANAL.
41A: Misrepresent: BELIE
48A: Babushka: SCARF. These babushkas look pretty.
60A: Coarse seaweed: KELP. Perfect clue. KELP (Kombu in Japanese) is indeed very grainy and coarse. It's the vegetarian source of dashi soup (miso base). Not my favorite. I love nori. You can get both from EDEN (52D: Adam's address) Foods (the oldest natural food company in the US). The clue for 10D: Coarse (CRUDE) could have been reworded to something sweet to avoid the double appearance of "Coarse" and misguide solvers, you know, like sweet CRUDE oil.
55A: Proverbial weeper: LOSER. This clue reminds me of the "Mythical crier' (NIOBE) we had awhile ago.
59A: "___ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE. Für Lois.
DOWN:
5D: Exit: WAY OUT. Just learned that WAY-OUT means "Exotic or esoteric in character". Interesting how a dash can completely change the meaning of a phrase.
9D: Maroons: STRANDS. Tell me what three items you would like to have if you were STRANDED on a deserted island.
13D: Comportment: MIEN. Can never forget this gritty MIEN of the Marboro Man. A Marine.
27D: Old battle-ax: CRONE. I had no idea that "battle-ax" is slang for aggressive old woman. I thought it was a kind of antiqued weapon.
29D: Man of La Mancha: SEÑOR. Hmm, very interesting. "Man of La Mancha" is also the name of a musical which won 5 Tony Awards in 1965. Peter O'Toole and Sophie Loren starred in the film version. OK, if you see O'TOOLE clued as "Man of La Mancha"? in the future, remember you first see it here.
31D: Clarinetist Shaw: ARTIE. Lady Be Good!
26D: Thong: STRAP. The flip-flop. Is the G-String Thong too much for you?
41D: Popeye's nemesis: BLUTO. "So you don't like spinach?"
46D: Looks ___ everything: AREN'T. Is that so, Aishwarya Rai? Would you accept 30M RUPEES for a film in Hollywood?
48D: Oscar Madison, for one: SLOB. I did not know who Oscar Madison was, again, the across clues took care of it.
53D: Humorist Rogers: WILL. He said "RUMOR travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth." Something for you to distort and QUIP, Mr. Alan P. Olschwang!
C.C.
