Theme: Quip (Evan Esar)
17A: Start of a quip: GOSSIP
23A: Part 2 of quip: IS LIKE SPINACH IT
40A: Part 3 of quip: All
53A: Part 4 of quip: BOILS DOWN TO VERY
62A: End of quip: LITTLE
I definitely have a Pavlov's Dog reflex towards Olschwang's Quip themed puzzle, so unoriginal, unimaginative and uninspiring. I started yawning immediately after I spotted his name.
I did not complain about ILL (32D: Sickly) clue yesterday ("Feeling peaked") due to the subtle ILL, AIL, ITIS & REHAB sub-theme. But today I am absolutely a volcano ready to explode. There are so many ways to clue ILL: __ at ease; __ -advised; __-wishers; __ -timed; Or simply "___ be back"; "___ be there"; "____ bite"; "____ treat"; or get romantic with "I'LL Be Missing you".
LET SLIP (49D: Divulge accidentally) is actually a great fill for this theme. I only wish it were constructed to intersect GOSSIP somehow.
Can you hear birds chirping/screaming in today's puzzle?
50A: Type of hawk: RED-TAIL. I am not familiar with this hawk. RED-TAILED hawks showed up when I googled. Isn't it strange that birds have all the freedom they have, yet the majority of them stay monogamous?
66A: Whippoorwill's bill: NEB. Here is a sleepy Whippoorwill, a new bird to me.
26D: Marsh bird: SORA. Her yellow-bill is indeed very short.
ACROSS:
1A: Pester: HARASS. This is what MAO (21A: Chairman of China) said about guerrilla war fighting strategies: "The enemy advances, we retreat; The enemy camps, we HARASS; The enemy tires, we attack; The enemy retreats, we pursue.".
11A: Type of Tuna: AHI. Delicious AHI sashimi. AHI is Japanese for "yellowfin tuna".
19A: Word to describe Abner: LI'L. Yawner, yawner! Why not give Rapper "LIL' Kim" a chance to shine? Look at this outrageous outfit she wore during the 1999 MTV award.
22A: "Smooth Operator" singer: SADE. Here is SADE's "Smooth Operator". I am now listening to "Somebody Already Broke My Heart", my favorite from her "Lovers Rock" album.
68A: Turkish inn: IMARET. Absolutely no idea. It originates from the Arabic "imÄrah" (building).
70A: Probability ration: ODDS. I like "Against All ODDS" (Phil Collins).
71A: Full stop: PERIOD. "During the first PERIOD of a man's life the greatest danger is not to take the risk. When once the risk has really been taken, then the greatest danger is to risk too much." A great quote from Kahlil Gibran for you to twist, Mr. Olschwang.
DOWN:
3D: Notes of scales: RES. Or "thing" in Latin.
4D: Set upon violently: ASSAIL And 43A: Whipped: LASHED
6D: Groups of seven: SEPTETS
7D: Ring king: CHAMP. I don't quite understand this one. Does this refer to boxing?
8D: French channel port: CALAIS. Unfamiliar to me. Wikipedia says "It overlooks the Strait of Dover". Here is a map.
9D: Bing, for one: CROONER. The first thing that came to my mind was "Bing Cherry".
12D: Spyri heroin: HEIDI. I really like Shirley Temple's HEIDI, but I have never paid attention to who the author (Johanna Spyri) was.
24D: Medicinal herb: SENNA. I always confused this SENNA with SIENNA (Reddish-brown) until SIENNA Miller came along.
36D: Reckoning: TALLY. Would not have got it without the across clues. Always associated "Reckoning" with "Day of Reckoning".
41D: Bereft: LORN
51D: Serve a sentence: DO TIME
52D: Small screen idol: TV STAR. FYI, STAR TV, owned by Rupert Murdoch, has a huge presence in Asia.
55D: Metrical feet: IAMBS
C.C.
17A: Start of a quip: GOSSIP
23A: Part 2 of quip: IS LIKE SPINACH IT
40A: Part 3 of quip: All
53A: Part 4 of quip: BOILS DOWN TO VERY
62A: End of quip: LITTLE
I definitely have a Pavlov's Dog reflex towards Olschwang's Quip themed puzzle, so unoriginal, unimaginative and uninspiring. I started yawning immediately after I spotted his name.
I did not complain about ILL (32D: Sickly) clue yesterday ("Feeling peaked") due to the subtle ILL, AIL, ITIS & REHAB sub-theme. But today I am absolutely a volcano ready to explode. There are so many ways to clue ILL: __ at ease; __ -advised; __-wishers; __ -timed; Or simply "___ be back"; "___ be there"; "____ bite"; "____ treat"; or get romantic with "I'LL Be Missing you".
LET SLIP (49D: Divulge accidentally) is actually a great fill for this theme. I only wish it were constructed to intersect GOSSIP somehow.
Can you hear birds chirping/screaming in today's puzzle?
50A: Type of hawk: RED-TAIL. I am not familiar with this hawk. RED-TAILED hawks showed up when I googled. Isn't it strange that birds have all the freedom they have, yet the majority of them stay monogamous?
66A: Whippoorwill's bill: NEB. Here is a sleepy Whippoorwill, a new bird to me.
26D: Marsh bird: SORA. Her yellow-bill is indeed very short.
ACROSS:
1A: Pester: HARASS. This is what MAO (21A: Chairman of China) said about guerrilla war fighting strategies: "The enemy advances, we retreat; The enemy camps, we HARASS; The enemy tires, we attack; The enemy retreats, we pursue.".
11A: Type of Tuna: AHI. Delicious AHI sashimi. AHI is Japanese for "yellowfin tuna".
19A: Word to describe Abner: LI'L. Yawner, yawner! Why not give Rapper "LIL' Kim" a chance to shine? Look at this outrageous outfit she wore during the 1999 MTV award.
22A: "Smooth Operator" singer: SADE. Here is SADE's "Smooth Operator". I am now listening to "Somebody Already Broke My Heart", my favorite from her "Lovers Rock" album.
68A: Turkish inn: IMARET. Absolutely no idea. It originates from the Arabic "imÄrah" (building).
70A: Probability ration: ODDS. I like "Against All ODDS" (Phil Collins).
71A: Full stop: PERIOD. "During the first PERIOD of a man's life the greatest danger is not to take the risk. When once the risk has really been taken, then the greatest danger is to risk too much." A great quote from Kahlil Gibran for you to twist, Mr. Olschwang.
DOWN:
3D: Notes of scales: RES. Or "thing" in Latin.
4D: Set upon violently: ASSAIL And 43A: Whipped: LASHED
6D: Groups of seven: SEPTETS
7D: Ring king: CHAMP. I don't quite understand this one. Does this refer to boxing?
8D: French channel port: CALAIS. Unfamiliar to me. Wikipedia says "It overlooks the Strait of Dover". Here is a map.
9D: Bing, for one: CROONER. The first thing that came to my mind was "Bing Cherry".
12D: Spyri heroin: HEIDI. I really like Shirley Temple's HEIDI, but I have never paid attention to who the author (Johanna Spyri) was.
24D: Medicinal herb: SENNA. I always confused this SENNA with SIENNA (Reddish-brown) until SIENNA Miller came along.
36D: Reckoning: TALLY. Would not have got it without the across clues. Always associated "Reckoning" with "Day of Reckoning".
41D: Bereft: LORN
51D: Serve a sentence: DO TIME
52D: Small screen idol: TV STAR. FYI, STAR TV, owned by Rupert Murdoch, has a huge presence in Asia.
55D: Metrical feet: IAMBS
C.C.
