Theme: Window Covering
17A: Reappearance on stage: CURTAIN CALL
28A: Amateur snapper: SHUTTERBUG
46A: Dead end: BLIND ALLEY
62A: Monitor guardian, of a sort: SCREEN SAVER
And I'LL (40D: Feeling peaked) say that IT IS (18D: Suffix for disease) rather depressing to see AIL (42A: Feel lousy ), REHAB (Post-op program), ILL and ITIS in one grid. The sky feels so GRAY (60D: Like a rainy day). I want "skies of blue... clouds of white...". I want music. Here are the instruments:
1A: Small flutes: FIFES
6A: "Twelfth Night" role: VIOLA. I wonder if the constructor's original clue was "4-stringed musical instrument". Frank VIOLA was the World Series MVP in 1987 (with the Twins of course). He also won Cy Young in 1988.
15A: Blacksmith's block: ANVIL. Percussion instrument.
27D: Rock band equipment: AMPLIFIERS
Very smooth sailing this morning. A few unknown names, but I was able to piece them together from the crossing clues. No real stumper or obscure words to frustrate me.
ACROSS:
14A: Pennsylvania sect: AMISH. They are the same as Mennonites, aren't they?
19A: Tasseled hat: FEZ. Always thought of FEZ as an Arabic word, just learned earlier that it's of Greek origin. "The Ottoman Turks adopted the FEZ from the Greeks".
20A: Indispensable: ESSENTIAL
21A: Slightly ahead: UP ONE. I don't get this one. Why? I am only familiar with ONE UP.
23A: Luau souvenirs: LEIS. And 57D: Hawaii bird: NENE
24A: Fulda tributary: EDER. I got it from the down clues. Had difficulty remembering this Fulda feEDER.
33A: Irish patriot Robert: EMMET. "I hero I lived, a hero I'll die...". Great Irish folksong Bold Robert EMMET.
35A: Hentoff and Hiken: NATS. Know Hentoff. Have no idea who Hiken is.
44A: Funny Jack of Hollywood: OAKIE. Unknown to me. Got it from the crossing clues. Wikepedia says he grew up in OK, hence the nickname. I wanted BENNY.
54A: Hold sway: REIGN. He who originated "Let freedom REIGN".
56A: Removing certain packaging: UNCRATING. And 31D: Release a catch: UNPIN. Is UNCRATING a familiar word to you? I've never used it before.
68A: Honkers: NOSES (68A: Honkers). It would be great if NOSES were clued as "Defeats by a narrow margin" to pair up with UP ONE.
DOWN:
4D: Actress Getty: ESTELLE. No idea. Pieced her name together from the across clues.
6D: Leave no trace: VANISH. "Want to VANISH inside your kiss... Every day I'm loving you more and more. Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings?...". Here is "Come What May" from "Moulin Rouge!".
9D: Dogpatch adjective: LI'L. LI'L Abner. I had no idea that he lived in Dogpatch.
10D: Hints at: ALLUDES TO
11D: Risk it all: GO FOR BROKE
30D: Spiritual way: TAO. Literally "Way" ( 道) in Cantonese. Lao-Tzu wrote "TAO Te Ching". In Mandarin Chinese, TAO is DAO, Lao-Tze is Lao Zi, and "TAO Te Ching" is "DAO De Jing".
34D: "Cheers" star: TED DANSON. Know him. Have never watched "Cheers" before.
45D: Refuse to vote: ABSTAIN. "When you doubt, ABSTAIN".
49D: Sweater-to-be, perhaps: YARN. Perhaps, yes!
58D: Wolfe of whodunits: NERO. Or the evil Roman Emperor (pervert Caligula's nephew). Very interesting, you get "Deplore again cruel Romans" when you anagram "Emperors NERO and Caligula".
C.C.
17A: Reappearance on stage: CURTAIN CALL
28A: Amateur snapper: SHUTTERBUG
46A: Dead end: BLIND ALLEY
62A: Monitor guardian, of a sort: SCREEN SAVER
And I'LL (40D: Feeling peaked) say that IT IS (18D: Suffix for disease) rather depressing to see AIL (42A: Feel lousy ), REHAB (Post-op program), ILL and ITIS in one grid. The sky feels so GRAY (60D: Like a rainy day). I want "skies of blue... clouds of white...". I want music. Here are the instruments:
1A: Small flutes: FIFES
6A: "Twelfth Night" role: VIOLA. I wonder if the constructor's original clue was "4-stringed musical instrument". Frank VIOLA was the World Series MVP in 1987 (with the Twins of course). He also won Cy Young in 1988.
15A: Blacksmith's block: ANVIL. Percussion instrument.
27D: Rock band equipment: AMPLIFIERS
Very smooth sailing this morning. A few unknown names, but I was able to piece them together from the crossing clues. No real stumper or obscure words to frustrate me.
ACROSS:
14A: Pennsylvania sect: AMISH. They are the same as Mennonites, aren't they?
19A: Tasseled hat: FEZ. Always thought of FEZ as an Arabic word, just learned earlier that it's of Greek origin. "The Ottoman Turks adopted the FEZ from the Greeks".
20A: Indispensable: ESSENTIAL
21A: Slightly ahead: UP ONE. I don't get this one. Why? I am only familiar with ONE UP.
23A: Luau souvenirs: LEIS. And 57D: Hawaii bird: NENE
24A: Fulda tributary: EDER. I got it from the down clues. Had difficulty remembering this Fulda feEDER.
33A: Irish patriot Robert: EMMET. "I hero I lived, a hero I'll die...". Great Irish folksong Bold Robert EMMET.
35A: Hentoff and Hiken: NATS. Know Hentoff. Have no idea who Hiken is.
44A: Funny Jack of Hollywood: OAKIE. Unknown to me. Got it from the crossing clues. Wikepedia says he grew up in OK, hence the nickname. I wanted BENNY.
54A: Hold sway: REIGN. He who originated "Let freedom REIGN".
56A: Removing certain packaging: UNCRATING. And 31D: Release a catch: UNPIN. Is UNCRATING a familiar word to you? I've never used it before.
68A: Honkers: NOSES (68A: Honkers). It would be great if NOSES were clued as "Defeats by a narrow margin" to pair up with UP ONE.
DOWN:
4D: Actress Getty: ESTELLE. No idea. Pieced her name together from the across clues.
6D: Leave no trace: VANISH. "Want to VANISH inside your kiss... Every day I'm loving you more and more. Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings?...". Here is "Come What May" from "Moulin Rouge!".
9D: Dogpatch adjective: LI'L. LI'L Abner. I had no idea that he lived in Dogpatch.
10D: Hints at: ALLUDES TO
11D: Risk it all: GO FOR BROKE
30D: Spiritual way: TAO. Literally "Way" ( 道) in Cantonese. Lao-Tzu wrote "TAO Te Ching". In Mandarin Chinese, TAO is DAO, Lao-Tze is Lao Zi, and "TAO Te Ching" is "DAO De Jing".
34D: "Cheers" star: TED DANSON. Know him. Have never watched "Cheers" before.
45D: Refuse to vote: ABSTAIN. "When you doubt, ABSTAIN".
49D: Sweater-to-be, perhaps: YARN. Perhaps, yes!
58D: Wolfe of whodunits: NERO. Or the evil Roman Emperor (pervert Caligula's nephew). Very interesting, you get "Deplore again cruel Romans" when you anagram "Emperors NERO and Caligula".
C.C.
