Theme: Hit the Road
17A: Crash-test road?: COLLISION COURSE
33A: Western relocation road?: SANTA FE TRAIL
42A: Must-take road?: CRITICAL PATH
63A: Take one's eye of the road?: LOOK THE OTHER WAY
And STS (20A: MapQuest abbrs) & AVE (55A: Pennsylvania in D. C. e.g.). I also like the clue for E-ZPASS (47A: Toll road convenience). Wish TIRES (66A: Wearies) were clued as road-related too.
I am certain TSE (64D: Half a fly?) is not Barry's original clue, and I don't believe he made the AVE (55A) and SAKS (61D: Fifth Ave. retailer) mistake. Maybe our editor should give Roger Federer or Anna Wintour a call and see how SAKS should be clued more fashionably.
Nice puzzle overall, another pangram. I got the theme very earlier on and was able to fill in lots of blanks. I did google ISIAH Thomas, had problem obtaining AIR ACE & ARACHNE.
Alright, Barry, I love Sophie Marceau. Bring me BOULEVARD Champs -Elysees next time, and your alley, your corner, your lane & your terrace.
Across:
1A: Modern journal: BLOG. Very interesting BLOG from Guardian's Xword editor. If you like cryptic crossword, you should read Sandy Balfour's "Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8)". I forgot the twisted logic, but the answer to his book title is REBELLED.
5A: "Squawk Box" airer: CNBC. Where is Maria Bartiromo?
9A: "Wheel of Fortunate" host: SAJAK. And AN O (23A: "Wheel of Fortune").
21A: NHL Senators: OTTAWA. Does this clue feel OK to you?
24A: Sub builder?: DELI. Good clue.
27A: Hypotheticals: WHAT-IFS. I like the answer.
36A: 20th-cent. conflict: WWII
37A: Prefix's prefix: PRE. Hate this clue, very lazy. So many ways to clue PRE.
50A: Bridge support: TRESTLE
52A: Verdi opera: AIDA
58A: Star in the sky?: AIR ACE. Another great clue. Took me a long time to get it though.
67A: E. Ness, e.g.: T-MAN
70A: Marquis de ___: SADE. Too dark for me, I adore this SADE.
71A: P-U connection U: QRST
Down:
1D: Some pens: BICS. I use Pilot Easytouch, how about you?
3D: Quiet raptors: OWLS. Why "quiet"?
6D: Night in Metz: NUIT. Once again, van Gogh's "La NUIT Étoilée" (Starry Night). I never get tired of this clip.
11D: Shook up: JARRED
18D: Greek colony: IONIA. See this map. The architectural term IONIC is from this word, isn't it? What is the difference between IONIC and DORIC?
19D: Kind of lily: CALLA. That's rather an erect anther, isn't it? Or is it stigma?
29D: Black cuckoo: ANI. It will drive me nuts if it's clued as "Wheel of Fortune" purchase (AN I) again.
34D: Part of TNT: TRI (Trinitrotoluene). Always associate TNT with "We Know Drama".
35D: Geom. figure: RECT (Rectangular)
39D: Tangled mass: MAT. This is a new definition to me.
40D: Bakker's letters: PTL. I did not know that Jim Bakker is still alive.
43D: S. Hemisphere nation: RSA. I was thinking of a South American country.
44D: Thomas of basketball: ISIAH. What does this photo say? I don't understand it.
45D: Maiden turned into a spider: ARACHNE. So hard to remember this name. It's clued as "Spider woman of myth" last time. So is she the symbol of presumption then?
46D: Flood zone sight: LEVEE. I penned in HAVOC first.
47D: Jumps for joy: EXULTS
48D: Focus (on): ZERO IN
49D: Like some deductions, with "a": PRIORI
57D: Timetable, briefly: SKED
65D: Supply slip, in brief: REQ. Required?
C.C.
17A: Crash-test road?: COLLISION COURSE
33A: Western relocation road?: SANTA FE TRAIL
42A: Must-take road?: CRITICAL PATH
63A: Take one's eye of the road?: LOOK THE OTHER WAY
And STS (20A: MapQuest abbrs) & AVE (55A: Pennsylvania in D. C. e.g.). I also like the clue for E-ZPASS (47A: Toll road convenience). Wish TIRES (66A: Wearies) were clued as road-related too.
I am certain TSE (64D: Half a fly?) is not Barry's original clue, and I don't believe he made the AVE (55A) and SAKS (61D: Fifth Ave. retailer) mistake. Maybe our editor should give Roger Federer or Anna Wintour a call and see how SAKS should be clued more fashionably.
Nice puzzle overall, another pangram. I got the theme very earlier on and was able to fill in lots of blanks. I did google ISIAH Thomas, had problem obtaining AIR ACE & ARACHNE.
Alright, Barry, I love Sophie Marceau. Bring me BOULEVARD Champs -Elysees next time, and your alley, your corner, your lane & your terrace.
Across:
1A: Modern journal: BLOG. Very interesting BLOG from Guardian's Xword editor. If you like cryptic crossword, you should read Sandy Balfour's "Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8)". I forgot the twisted logic, but the answer to his book title is REBELLED.
5A: "Squawk Box" airer: CNBC. Where is Maria Bartiromo?
9A: "Wheel of Fortunate" host: SAJAK. And AN O (23A: "Wheel of Fortune").
21A: NHL Senators: OTTAWA. Does this clue feel OK to you?
24A: Sub builder?: DELI. Good clue.
27A: Hypotheticals: WHAT-IFS. I like the answer.
36A: 20th-cent. conflict: WWII
37A: Prefix's prefix: PRE. Hate this clue, very lazy. So many ways to clue PRE.
50A: Bridge support: TRESTLE
52A: Verdi opera: AIDA
58A: Star in the sky?: AIR ACE. Another great clue. Took me a long time to get it though.
67A: E. Ness, e.g.: T-MAN
70A: Marquis de ___: SADE. Too dark for me, I adore this SADE.
71A: P-U connection U: QRST
Down:
1D: Some pens: BICS. I use Pilot Easytouch, how about you?
3D: Quiet raptors: OWLS. Why "quiet"?
6D: Night in Metz: NUIT. Once again, van Gogh's "La NUIT Étoilée" (Starry Night). I never get tired of this clip.
11D: Shook up: JARRED
18D: Greek colony: IONIA. See this map. The architectural term IONIC is from this word, isn't it? What is the difference between IONIC and DORIC?
19D: Kind of lily: CALLA. That's rather an erect anther, isn't it? Or is it stigma?
29D: Black cuckoo: ANI. It will drive me nuts if it's clued as "Wheel of Fortune" purchase (AN I) again.
34D: Part of TNT: TRI (Trinitrotoluene). Always associate TNT with "We Know Drama".
35D: Geom. figure: RECT (Rectangular)
39D: Tangled mass: MAT. This is a new definition to me.
40D: Bakker's letters: PTL. I did not know that Jim Bakker is still alive.
43D: S. Hemisphere nation: RSA. I was thinking of a South American country.
44D: Thomas of basketball: ISIAH. What does this photo say? I don't understand it.
45D: Maiden turned into a spider: ARACHNE. So hard to remember this name. It's clued as "Spider woman of myth" last time. So is she the symbol of presumption then?
46D: Flood zone sight: LEVEE. I penned in HAVOC first.
47D: Jumps for joy: EXULTS
48D: Focus (on): ZERO IN
49D: Like some deductions, with "a": PRIORI
57D: Timetable, briefly: SKED
65D: Supply slip, in brief: REQ. Required?
C.C.
