Theme: CRACKER (40A: 17A, 24A, 51A and 64A follower)
17A: Cow or chicken: FARM ANIMAL
24A: Float: ICE CREAM SODA
51A: Fastener with wings: BUTTERFLY NUT
64A: Large gun barrage: CANNON FIRE
And Graham CRACKER, Oyster CRACKER & Saltine CRACKER. What else can you think of?
I hate the clue for 40A. It's inaccurate. CRACKER only follows the last word of those theme answers. I also dislike the clue for TSE (10D: Half a fly), not only because the clue needs a "?" mark, but also because of BUTTERFLY in 51A. Besides, why obsessed with this terrible fly all the time? What's wrong with cluing TSE as "China's Mao __-tung"?
I am also not fond of the below three clues:
45A: Bog: QUAG. Is QUAG a commonly accepted shortened word?
52D: Phillies all-star 2nd-baseman Chase: UTLEY. An apostrophe should be added to Phillies, right?
65D: Sugary suffix: OSE. I suppose it's OK, though I prefer the clue to be "Sugar suffix".
Other than those, it's a great puzzle, very enjoyable. I love seeing TGIF (10A: End-of-week cry) & Barry Silk on a Friday. I also like this kind of theme type very much.
Still needed Google's help though. It will probably take me a few more months before I can crack this Silk code. He is a very wise man. Ha, WISECRACKER.
Across:
14A: Actress Sofer: RENA. It's clued as "Sofer of soaps' in an earlier TMS puzzle. I like the flowers on her shirt. FYI, RENA means "Joy" in Hebrew.
15A: Lickety-split: APACE
21A: Sealy rival: SERTA. Identical clue in his July "main squeeze" puzzle.
27A: Money set aside: ESCROW. Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that George Washter, the specialist for the old-masters at Sotheby's, is the father of the 13-year old boy who spent $5,000 on this Rembrandt's etching "Agony in the Garden".
36A: Disunit a fly?: UNZIP. Interesting clue. I wonder if this is Barry Silk's original. It certainly has our editor's fingerprint.
39A: Actress Charlotte: RAE. Legends of what?
43A: Madrid museum: PRADO. A heaven for those Goya fans. Beautiful "The Clothed Maya". Dennis probably loves "The Nude Maya".
49A: Starting lineups: A-TEAMS
56A: Env. contents: LTR. Shouldn't the clue be in singular form?
57A: "Ecologues" sheperdess: DELIA. Would not have got it without the surrounds. It's clued as "Shepherdess in Virgil's "Eclogues" 2 weeks ago. This is Argyle's comment: "DELIA seems to be very obscure. Vigil only mentions the name in passing, "insomuch that now our dogs know not Delia better. The character was saying his boyfriend came around so much that the dogs knew him as well as they knew the shepherdess, I think."
62A: Et __ (and others): ALII. Masculine plural. "Et ALIAE" is femine plural. And "Et ALIA" is neutral plural. And another Latin word is IDEM (37D: Footnote word).
68A: Declare frankly: AVOW. I am always confused about AVOW and AVER, so similiar in meaning.
Down:
1D: Pound sounds: ARFS. I like the rhyme in the clue.
2D:Osso buco meat: VEAL. I would add a few apricots to this dish. I want my meat to be firm, juicy and sweet.
4D: Bloodsucking evil spirit: VAMPIRE
6D: Prot. denom.: EPISC. No need to abbreviate both words in the clue.
8D: Words of concern: I CARE. 4 U.
9D: River ends: DELTAS
11D: Italian cheese: GORGONZOLA. I've never had this cheese before. What does it taste like?
13D: Jane of "Klute": FONDA. I've never seen this movie. That's a daring skirt. Jane FONDA is an awful mother in "Monster-in-Law".
18D: Label for Sonny & Cher: ATCO. No, have never heard of ATCO label before. Here is their "I Got You Babe".
22D: Love in Lyon: AMOUR. "My Cherie AMOUR, lovely as a summer's day...... How I wish that you were mine."
27D: Holliday partner: EARP (Wyatt). Got it from the across clues. I had no idea who Holliday was.
29D: "I Want You to Want Me" band: CHEAP TRICK. New to me. I do love the song title.
33D: Help-page acronym: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Gimme.
34D: Fort Worth sch.: TCU (Texas Christian University). Strange logo.
35D: Jamaican music: SKA. Every time I see this clue, I think of Bob Marley and "The Wailers".
38D: Holding areas: PENS. "Holding areas" for whom?
41D: "Magnet and Steel" singer Walter: EGAN. Nope, he is new to me. Here is the song. I like this fresh new clue, don't you? I am tired of "Alaska's first governor".
46D: Puts on pounds: GETS FAT
59D: Bounty competition: VIVA. I've never paid attention to this brand. I use Bounty at home.
63D: Resident's suffix: ITE. Xchefwalt & Lois probably want the clue to be "Manhattan chaser?".
C.C.
17A: Cow or chicken: FARM ANIMAL
24A: Float: ICE CREAM SODA
51A: Fastener with wings: BUTTERFLY NUT
64A: Large gun barrage: CANNON FIRE
And Graham CRACKER, Oyster CRACKER & Saltine CRACKER. What else can you think of?
I hate the clue for 40A. It's inaccurate. CRACKER only follows the last word of those theme answers. I also dislike the clue for TSE (10D: Half a fly), not only because the clue needs a "?" mark, but also because of BUTTERFLY in 51A. Besides, why obsessed with this terrible fly all the time? What's wrong with cluing TSE as "China's Mao __-tung"?
I am also not fond of the below three clues:
45A: Bog: QUAG. Is QUAG a commonly accepted shortened word?
52D: Phillies all-star 2nd-baseman Chase: UTLEY. An apostrophe should be added to Phillies, right?
65D: Sugary suffix: OSE. I suppose it's OK, though I prefer the clue to be "Sugar suffix".
Other than those, it's a great puzzle, very enjoyable. I love seeing TGIF (10A: End-of-week cry) & Barry Silk on a Friday. I also like this kind of theme type very much.
Still needed Google's help though. It will probably take me a few more months before I can crack this Silk code. He is a very wise man. Ha, WISECRACKER.
Across:
14A: Actress Sofer: RENA. It's clued as "Sofer of soaps' in an earlier TMS puzzle. I like the flowers on her shirt. FYI, RENA means "Joy" in Hebrew.
15A: Lickety-split: APACE
21A: Sealy rival: SERTA. Identical clue in his July "main squeeze" puzzle.
27A: Money set aside: ESCROW. Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that George Washter, the specialist for the old-masters at Sotheby's, is the father of the 13-year old boy who spent $5,000 on this Rembrandt's etching "Agony in the Garden".
36A: Disunit a fly?: UNZIP. Interesting clue. I wonder if this is Barry Silk's original. It certainly has our editor's fingerprint.
39A: Actress Charlotte: RAE. Legends of what?
43A: Madrid museum: PRADO. A heaven for those Goya fans. Beautiful "The Clothed Maya". Dennis probably loves "The Nude Maya".
49A: Starting lineups: A-TEAMS
56A: Env. contents: LTR. Shouldn't the clue be in singular form?
57A: "Ecologues" sheperdess: DELIA. Would not have got it without the surrounds. It's clued as "Shepherdess in Virgil's "Eclogues" 2 weeks ago. This is Argyle's comment: "DELIA seems to be very obscure. Vigil only mentions the name in passing, "insomuch that now our dogs know not Delia better. The character was saying his boyfriend came around so much that the dogs knew him as well as they knew the shepherdess, I think."
62A: Et __ (and others): ALII. Masculine plural. "Et ALIAE" is femine plural. And "Et ALIA" is neutral plural. And another Latin word is IDEM (37D: Footnote word).
68A: Declare frankly: AVOW. I am always confused about AVOW and AVER, so similiar in meaning.
Down:
1D: Pound sounds: ARFS. I like the rhyme in the clue.
2D:Osso buco meat: VEAL. I would add a few apricots to this dish. I want my meat to be firm, juicy and sweet.
4D: Bloodsucking evil spirit: VAMPIRE
6D: Prot. denom.: EPISC. No need to abbreviate both words in the clue.
8D: Words of concern: I CARE. 4 U.
9D: River ends: DELTAS
11D: Italian cheese: GORGONZOLA. I've never had this cheese before. What does it taste like?
13D: Jane of "Klute": FONDA. I've never seen this movie. That's a daring skirt. Jane FONDA is an awful mother in "Monster-in-Law".
18D: Label for Sonny & Cher: ATCO. No, have never heard of ATCO label before. Here is their "I Got You Babe".
22D: Love in Lyon: AMOUR. "My Cherie AMOUR, lovely as a summer's day...... How I wish that you were mine."
27D: Holliday partner: EARP (Wyatt). Got it from the across clues. I had no idea who Holliday was.
29D: "I Want You to Want Me" band: CHEAP TRICK. New to me. I do love the song title.
33D: Help-page acronym: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Gimme.
34D: Fort Worth sch.: TCU (Texas Christian University). Strange logo.
35D: Jamaican music: SKA. Every time I see this clue, I think of Bob Marley and "The Wailers".
38D: Holding areas: PENS. "Holding areas" for whom?
41D: "Magnet and Steel" singer Walter: EGAN. Nope, he is new to me. Here is the song. I like this fresh new clue, don't you? I am tired of "Alaska's first governor".
46D: Puts on pounds: GETS FAT
59D: Bounty competition: VIVA. I've never paid attention to this brand. I use Bounty at home.
63D: Resident's suffix: ITE. Xchefwalt & Lois probably want the clue to be "Manhattan chaser?".
C.C.
