Theme: What's my LINE? (59D: Word after 21A, 39A, 54A, 3D and 35D)
21A: "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" singer: DARLENE LOVE
39A: Conference ID: NAME TAG
54A: Upstairs: SECOND STORY
3D: End-of-filming get-together: WRAP PARTY
35D: Submariners' harbor: NAVAL BASE
I've never heard of DARLENE LOVE or her song. I've never heard of "LOVELINE" either. It sounds like a dating service to me.
I really like this puzzle, good theme concept and great theme execution. I enjoy most of Allan E. Parrish's puzzles, so creative and entertaining. Scrabbly too. Quality stuff.
But I often wonder why most of the constructors choose to place their theme words at the very end of the grid. In today's case, it's LINE. You know, they could have put it at the upper left corner, or at the very heart of the grid. Do they position it at the end on purpose to elicit reader's "Aha"? If so, they are woefully wrong, unless LINE is simply clued as a "Queue". Solvers need to be challenged and work hard to figure out the theme title rather than being given so readily.
Across:
1A: Young deer: FAWNS. I don't know what makes a crossword constructor tick. What prompts him to clue FAWNS as a noun rather than a verb?
10A: Counterfeit: SHAM. I would prefer the clue to be a simple "Fraud". See FAKE (1D: Counterfeit).
14A: Skylit courtyards: ATRIA. Also "Heart chambers".
15A: Be aware of: KNOW. I have a question: What's the difference between BEWARE and BEWARE OF? Also, can you give me examples to show the distinctions?
16A: Wakiki wiggle?: HULA. Good clue. I love the skirts they are wearing.
24A: House coat?: PAINT. "PAINT my love, you should PAINT my love, it's the picture of a thousand sunsets...", one of my favorite songs from "Michael Learns To Rock".
34A: Jim of CBS sports: NANTZ. Do you like him?
42A: "Heidi" novelist: SPYRI (Johanna). I really have difficulty remembering this author's name. Shirley Temple is adorable in "Heidi".
44A: Rider Revere: PAUL. I've never heard of his name before. PAUL Klee, PAUL Cézanne & PAUL Gauguin yes.
45A: Cinematopgraher Nykvist: SVEN. Got his name from the down fills. Of those films, I've only seen "The Unbearable Lightnes of Being" & "Sleepless in Seattle". Which ones have you watched before?
53A: 1986 Indy winner Bobby: RAHAL. I don't think I could have got his name without the surrounds.
57A: Cartoonist Keane: BIL. I like his "The Family Circus". What comic strip do you read every day?
66A: Red dye: EOSIN. Nope. Interesting root word "EOS" (Greek Goddess of dawn). "In" is just a chemcial suffix. Dictionary says EOSIN is "used chiefly as an acid dye for dyeing silk a rose red color". I am sure Dr. Dad will provide us with his expert information on EOSIN.
67A: Printed matter: TEXT
Down:
2D: Actor Roscoe: ATES. Got it from the across fills. Not familiar with him at all. Would you be able to get him without the crossing references?
6D: Bypass: SKIRT. Nice SKIRT. I like the color, don't you?
7D: Organic compound: ENOL. So many crossword-friendly organic compounds: AMINE, AMIDE, ENOL, ESTER & NITRILE.
8D: "Lady Jane Grey" dramatist: ROWE (Nicholas). I forgot. He appeared in our puzzle before. I did not know that "Lady Jane Grey" refers to Queen Jane, whose "claimed rule of nine days in July 1553 is the shortest rule of England in its history." Interesting, WP says that the seductive lady-killer Lothario is from his play "The Fair Penitent".
9D: African titles: BWANAS. "Masters" in Swahili.
10D: Clinton cabinet member Donna: SHALALA. Gimme to me. She served as Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human services for all eight years.
11D: Impresario Sol: HUROK. Completely unknown to me. Is that an OPERA HAT he is holding?
23D: "Dallas" family: EWING. Also Adlai E Stevenson's middle name.
28D: Hanks role: GUMP. Indeed, "Forrest GUMP" should have ended this way!
29D: Sheep's cry: BLEAT. Exactly, Ewe said it!
30D: Aleutian island: ATTU. Where is ATTU? I cannot locate it in this map.
40D: Site of rites: ALTAR. Interesting book title.
43D: Changed the land-use rules: REZONED
49D: Limerick necessities: RHYMES. I am not fond of Rap music, but I do admire those rappers' strong sense of rhyme, amazing!
51D: Paris subway: METRO. Ah, the best method to travel in Paris, highly efficient.
52D: Amtrak's bullet train: ACELA. Got it this time. Identical clue in his June 24 puzzle. I also found out that ACELA means "one" in Romanian language.
55D: Wild plum: SLOE. They look like blueberries to me.
56D: Kodak brand: T-MAX. Another identical clue in his August 8 puzzle.
63D: Winter Games grp.: IOC. Ha, I was thinking of NFL. Nice clue though, much more interesting than "Summer Games org."
C.C.
21A: "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" singer: DARLENE LOVE
39A: Conference ID: NAME TAG
54A: Upstairs: SECOND STORY
3D: End-of-filming get-together: WRAP PARTY
35D: Submariners' harbor: NAVAL BASE
I've never heard of DARLENE LOVE or her song. I've never heard of "LOVELINE" either. It sounds like a dating service to me.
I really like this puzzle, good theme concept and great theme execution. I enjoy most of Allan E. Parrish's puzzles, so creative and entertaining. Scrabbly too. Quality stuff.
But I often wonder why most of the constructors choose to place their theme words at the very end of the grid. In today's case, it's LINE. You know, they could have put it at the upper left corner, or at the very heart of the grid. Do they position it at the end on purpose to elicit reader's "Aha"? If so, they are woefully wrong, unless LINE is simply clued as a "Queue". Solvers need to be challenged and work hard to figure out the theme title rather than being given so readily.
Across:
1A: Young deer: FAWNS. I don't know what makes a crossword constructor tick. What prompts him to clue FAWNS as a noun rather than a verb?
10A: Counterfeit: SHAM. I would prefer the clue to be a simple "Fraud". See FAKE (1D: Counterfeit).
14A: Skylit courtyards: ATRIA. Also "Heart chambers".
15A: Be aware of: KNOW. I have a question: What's the difference between BEWARE and BEWARE OF? Also, can you give me examples to show the distinctions?
16A: Wakiki wiggle?: HULA. Good clue. I love the skirts they are wearing.
24A: House coat?: PAINT. "PAINT my love, you should PAINT my love, it's the picture of a thousand sunsets...", one of my favorite songs from "Michael Learns To Rock".
34A: Jim of CBS sports: NANTZ. Do you like him?
42A: "Heidi" novelist: SPYRI (Johanna). I really have difficulty remembering this author's name. Shirley Temple is adorable in "Heidi".
44A: Rider Revere: PAUL. I've never heard of his name before. PAUL Klee, PAUL Cézanne & PAUL Gauguin yes.
45A: Cinematopgraher Nykvist: SVEN. Got his name from the down fills. Of those films, I've only seen "The Unbearable Lightnes of Being" & "Sleepless in Seattle". Which ones have you watched before?
53A: 1986 Indy winner Bobby: RAHAL. I don't think I could have got his name without the surrounds.
57A: Cartoonist Keane: BIL. I like his "The Family Circus". What comic strip do you read every day?
66A: Red dye: EOSIN. Nope. Interesting root word "EOS" (Greek Goddess of dawn). "In" is just a chemcial suffix. Dictionary says EOSIN is "used chiefly as an acid dye for dyeing silk a rose red color". I am sure Dr. Dad will provide us with his expert information on EOSIN.
67A: Printed matter: TEXT
Down:
2D: Actor Roscoe: ATES. Got it from the across fills. Not familiar with him at all. Would you be able to get him without the crossing references?
6D: Bypass: SKIRT. Nice SKIRT. I like the color, don't you?
7D: Organic compound: ENOL. So many crossword-friendly organic compounds: AMINE, AMIDE, ENOL, ESTER & NITRILE.
8D: "Lady Jane Grey" dramatist: ROWE (Nicholas). I forgot. He appeared in our puzzle before. I did not know that "Lady Jane Grey" refers to Queen Jane, whose "claimed rule of nine days in July 1553 is the shortest rule of England in its history." Interesting, WP says that the seductive lady-killer Lothario is from his play "The Fair Penitent".
9D: African titles: BWANAS. "Masters" in Swahili.
10D: Clinton cabinet member Donna: SHALALA. Gimme to me. She served as Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human services for all eight years.
11D: Impresario Sol: HUROK. Completely unknown to me. Is that an OPERA HAT he is holding?
23D: "Dallas" family: EWING. Also Adlai E Stevenson's middle name.
28D: Hanks role: GUMP. Indeed, "Forrest GUMP" should have ended this way!
29D: Sheep's cry: BLEAT. Exactly, Ewe said it!
30D: Aleutian island: ATTU. Where is ATTU? I cannot locate it in this map.
40D: Site of rites: ALTAR. Interesting book title.
43D: Changed the land-use rules: REZONED
49D: Limerick necessities: RHYMES. I am not fond of Rap music, but I do admire those rappers' strong sense of rhyme, amazing!
51D: Paris subway: METRO. Ah, the best method to travel in Paris, highly efficient.
52D: Amtrak's bullet train: ACELA. Got it this time. Identical clue in his June 24 puzzle. I also found out that ACELA means "one" in Romanian language.
55D: Wild plum: SLOE. They look like blueberries to me.
56D: Kodak brand: T-MAX. Another identical clue in his August 8 puzzle.
63D: Winter Games grp.: IOC. Ha, I was thinking of NFL. Nice clue though, much more interesting than "Summer Games org."
C.C.
