Theme: The Fab Four
17A: Cornpone: JOHNNYCAKE
66A: NYC street game: RINGO LEVIO
11D: Asian figwort trees: PAULOWNIAS
29D: D. C. neighborhood: GEORGETOWN
I recognized the PAULOWNIA tree when I saw the picture. I could almost smell its flowers and see my childhood. But too bad, I did not know its English name.
I am not fond of today's theme entries at all. They don't feel tight to me. And the word "Asian" should not have appeared in theme answer 11D or 38A: Asian nation (LAOS). Why not "China's neighbor"? ASIAN is an answer for 31D: From Tibet, for example.
Easier puzzle though. I was really hammered hard yesterday.
Across:
1A: Abrasive tool: RASP. Our editor likes to clue RASP as "Coarse file".
15A: Kukla's pal: OLLIE. Kukla, Fran & OLLIE.
16A: "Peter Pan" pet: NANA. She is a St. Bernard.
25A: New York City harbor entrance: NARROWS. See the red strait? Not a familiar name to me.
58A: Author of "Portnoy's Complaint": ROTH (Philip). No idea. Here is the book cover. Is it an interesting read?
65A: "Typee" sequel: OMOO. Its subtitle is "A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas".
68A: Bryn __ College: MAWR. Edith Hamilton's alma mater. Kathrine Hepburn also attended this college. I love the letter she wrote to Spencer Tracy in her biography "Me, Stories of My Life". Very touching.
69A: "Lou Grant" star: ASNER (Ed). He also "kidnapped" Kunta Kinte in "Roots".
70A: "The __ on the Floss": MILL. George Eliot novel. I got it from the down clues. What is it about?
Down:
1D: Hindu prince: RAJA."British rule in India" (before 1947) is RAJ.
6D: San Francisco Bay island: ALCATRAZ. I love "The Rock". It's set on ALCATRAZ Island.
8D: "Blue Voyage" poet: AIKEN (Conrad). Unknown to me. "Blue Voyage" is a novel. I like these two lines from his "All Lovely Things":"All lovely things must have an ending /All lovely things must fade and die..."
10D: Ancient Greek poet: ANACREON. Unknown to me also. Wikipedia says he is a "lyrical poet" and notable for his "drinking songs and hymns". And his songs often celebrated "women, wine, and entertaining, and today can be considered eroticism". Very interesting information: Francis Scott Key modified Stafford Smith's melody of "To ANACREON in Heaven" for "The Star-Spangled Banner".
39D: Mediterranean coast: SEASHORE. Why "Mediterranean"?
45D: Tennis star of the '90s: SAMPRAS. He has won 14 Grand Slam singles title: 2 Austrian Open, 7 Wimbledon, 5 US Open. Roger Federer now has 13 singles titles: 3 Australia Open, 5 Wimbledon and 5 US Open.
54D: John Lennon kit: WOMAN. Here is the song.
60D: Sicilian resort town: ENNA. The volcano is ETNA, "I burn" in Greek.
C.C.
17A: Cornpone: JOHNNYCAKE
66A: NYC street game: RINGO LEVIO
11D: Asian figwort trees: PAULOWNIAS
29D: D. C. neighborhood: GEORGETOWN
I recognized the PAULOWNIA tree when I saw the picture. I could almost smell its flowers and see my childhood. But too bad, I did not know its English name.
I am not fond of today's theme entries at all. They don't feel tight to me. And the word "Asian" should not have appeared in theme answer 11D or 38A: Asian nation (LAOS). Why not "China's neighbor"? ASIAN is an answer for 31D: From Tibet, for example.
Easier puzzle though. I was really hammered hard yesterday.
Across:
1A: Abrasive tool: RASP. Our editor likes to clue RASP as "Coarse file".
15A: Kukla's pal: OLLIE. Kukla, Fran & OLLIE.
16A: "Peter Pan" pet: NANA. She is a St. Bernard.
25A: New York City harbor entrance: NARROWS. See the red strait? Not a familiar name to me.
58A: Author of "Portnoy's Complaint": ROTH (Philip). No idea. Here is the book cover. Is it an interesting read?
65A: "Typee" sequel: OMOO. Its subtitle is "A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas".
68A: Bryn __ College: MAWR. Edith Hamilton's alma mater. Kathrine Hepburn also attended this college. I love the letter she wrote to Spencer Tracy in her biography "Me, Stories of My Life". Very touching.
69A: "Lou Grant" star: ASNER (Ed). He also "kidnapped" Kunta Kinte in "Roots".
70A: "The __ on the Floss": MILL. George Eliot novel. I got it from the down clues. What is it about?
Down:
1D: Hindu prince: RAJA."British rule in India" (before 1947) is RAJ.
6D: San Francisco Bay island: ALCATRAZ. I love "The Rock". It's set on ALCATRAZ Island.
8D: "Blue Voyage" poet: AIKEN (Conrad). Unknown to me. "Blue Voyage" is a novel. I like these two lines from his "All Lovely Things":"All lovely things must have an ending /All lovely things must fade and die..."
10D: Ancient Greek poet: ANACREON. Unknown to me also. Wikipedia says he is a "lyrical poet" and notable for his "drinking songs and hymns". And his songs often celebrated "women, wine, and entertaining, and today can be considered eroticism". Very interesting information: Francis Scott Key modified Stafford Smith's melody of "To ANACREON in Heaven" for "The Star-Spangled Banner".
39D: Mediterranean coast: SEASHORE. Why "Mediterranean"?
45D: Tennis star of the '90s: SAMPRAS. He has won 14 Grand Slam singles title: 2 Austrian Open, 7 Wimbledon, 5 US Open. Roger Federer now has 13 singles titles: 3 Australia Open, 5 Wimbledon and 5 US Open.
54D: John Lennon kit: WOMAN. Here is the song.
60D: Sicilian resort town: ENNA. The volcano is ETNA, "I burn" in Greek.
C.C.
