Theme: None
Total blocks: 26
ANNA NICOLE SMITH (39A: Playmate of the year) would have been very pleased with the attention she got from Barry Silk. Her named appeared on Barry's Sept 20 Saturday themeless as a run-through 8D answer.
Last time it's TELL HER NO, this time it's SUSPICIOUS MINDS (7D: Presley's hit). I think Barry was born in early 1950's.
Interesting to see ISHMAEL (27D: Abraham's eldest) and WHALER (44A: Queegueg, e.g.) in the same grid. I am curious to see Barry's original clue for ISHMAEL.
Across:
1A: Leader of the Huns: ATTILA. He is the "Scourge of God".
15A: Currency in Freetown: LEONES. I did not know where Freetown is. It's Sierra Leone's capital. Here is a 500 LEONES banknote.
16A: Like some runs: UNEARNED. I hope Tampa Bay can close the deal tonight. I sure don't want Red Sox repeat what they did in 2004.
17A: Grieve audibly: LAMENT
18A: Rousing to action: SPARKING
19A: Edwards or Andrews, e.g.: AFB (Air Force Base). This clue used to stump me. Not any more.
20A: Plains tribe: ARAPAHO. No idea. Wikipedia says they are "tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux."
28A: Bandleader Shaw: ARTIE. He must be very good at double tonguing.
30A: Strangles: SCRAGS. New definition to me. Always thought SCRAG as scrawny.
32A: Drank to excess: BOOZED
45A: Flip do-over: RETOSS. Another RE word is RESEALED (64A: Mended leaks).
49A: Pipe-stem end: TENON. Our editor likes to clue TENON as "Mortise's partner".
52A: City on the Irtysh River: OMSK. I forgot. I can never remember this city. Here is the map again.
54A: Director Wertmuller: LINA. Foreign to me. Wikipedia says LINA Wertmuller is the first woman ever to be nominated for an Oscar for directing with "Seven Beauties".
55A: Outer: pref.: EXO
56A: Desktop publishing acronym: WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). Big stumper. I've got no idea what it is.
60A: Falling pollution: ACID RAIN
62A: Bob Marley's genre: REGGAE. "Could You Be Loved". Wonderful song.
65A: Practical trainee: INTERN. I wish I were in the US when Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. I can't imagine how Chris Matthews covered the story in his "Hardball". He is my favorite TV HOST (35A: Website job).
66A: Dark horses: SLEEPERS
Down:
1D: Nehru's birthplace: ALLAHABAD. Here is the map. I've never heard of this place before.
2D: Song from Led Zeppelin's "Presence": TEA FOR ONE. Agonizingly slow. I've never heard of song.
3D: Wyatt Earp's town: TOMBSTONE
5D: Jetson's dog: ASTRO. I am convinced that our editor does not like Houston Astros.
10D: Polynesian wraparound: SARONG. I like this color.
24D: Founder of Lima: PIZARRO (Francisco). No idea. How sad, he was assasinated. What kind of hat is that?.
33D: Intervening space: abbr.: DIST. Are you OK with this clue?
36D: Well worker: OIL RIGGER
37D: Discount store chain: STEIN MART. Unknown to me. I don't believe they have a store in MN.
40D: More fussy: CHOOSIER
46D: Absorb completely: ENWRAP. New definition to me also. Food network has a very interesting program called "Unwrapped".
49D: Waterworks: TEARS. I guessed. I did not know that "Waterworks" is a slang for TEARS.
53D: ___ eleison (Lord, have mercy): KYRIE. Was it a gimme to you? Lord is not going to show me any mercy.
58D: Generation after boomers: GEN X. I am a GEN Xer.
63D: Verizon, once: GTE
C.C.
Total blocks: 26
ANNA NICOLE SMITH (39A: Playmate of the year) would have been very pleased with the attention she got from Barry Silk. Her named appeared on Barry's Sept 20 Saturday themeless as a run-through 8D answer.
Last time it's TELL HER NO, this time it's SUSPICIOUS MINDS (7D: Presley's hit). I think Barry was born in early 1950's.
Interesting to see ISHMAEL (27D: Abraham's eldest) and WHALER (44A: Queegueg, e.g.) in the same grid. I am curious to see Barry's original clue for ISHMAEL.
Across:
1A: Leader of the Huns: ATTILA. He is the "Scourge of God".
15A: Currency in Freetown: LEONES. I did not know where Freetown is. It's Sierra Leone's capital. Here is a 500 LEONES banknote.
16A: Like some runs: UNEARNED. I hope Tampa Bay can close the deal tonight. I sure don't want Red Sox repeat what they did in 2004.
17A: Grieve audibly: LAMENT
18A: Rousing to action: SPARKING
19A: Edwards or Andrews, e.g.: AFB (Air Force Base). This clue used to stump me. Not any more.
20A: Plains tribe: ARAPAHO. No idea. Wikipedia says they are "tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux."
28A: Bandleader Shaw: ARTIE. He must be very good at double tonguing.
30A: Strangles: SCRAGS. New definition to me. Always thought SCRAG as scrawny.
32A: Drank to excess: BOOZED
45A: Flip do-over: RETOSS. Another RE word is RESEALED (64A: Mended leaks).
49A: Pipe-stem end: TENON. Our editor likes to clue TENON as "Mortise's partner".
52A: City on the Irtysh River: OMSK. I forgot. I can never remember this city. Here is the map again.
54A: Director Wertmuller: LINA. Foreign to me. Wikipedia says LINA Wertmuller is the first woman ever to be nominated for an Oscar for directing with "Seven Beauties".
55A: Outer: pref.: EXO
56A: Desktop publishing acronym: WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). Big stumper. I've got no idea what it is.
60A: Falling pollution: ACID RAIN
62A: Bob Marley's genre: REGGAE. "Could You Be Loved". Wonderful song.
65A: Practical trainee: INTERN. I wish I were in the US when Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. I can't imagine how Chris Matthews covered the story in his "Hardball". He is my favorite TV HOST (35A: Website job).
66A: Dark horses: SLEEPERS
Down:
1D: Nehru's birthplace: ALLAHABAD. Here is the map. I've never heard of this place before.
2D: Song from Led Zeppelin's "Presence": TEA FOR ONE. Agonizingly slow. I've never heard of song.
3D: Wyatt Earp's town: TOMBSTONE
5D: Jetson's dog: ASTRO. I am convinced that our editor does not like Houston Astros.
10D: Polynesian wraparound: SARONG. I like this color.
24D: Founder of Lima: PIZARRO (Francisco). No idea. How sad, he was assasinated. What kind of hat is that?.
33D: Intervening space: abbr.: DIST. Are you OK with this clue?
36D: Well worker: OIL RIGGER
37D: Discount store chain: STEIN MART. Unknown to me. I don't believe they have a store in MN.
40D: More fussy: CHOOSIER
46D: Absorb completely: ENWRAP. New definition to me also. Food network has a very interesting program called "Unwrapped".
49D: Waterworks: TEARS. I guessed. I did not know that "Waterworks" is a slang for TEARS.
53D: ___ eleison (Lord, have mercy): KYRIE. Was it a gimme to you? Lord is not going to show me any mercy.
58D: Generation after boomers: GEN X. I am a GEN Xer.
63D: Verizon, once: GTE
C.C.
