Theme: Nanny (Fine) Rhyme Time
20A: 1977 PGA Championship winner: LANNY WADKINS
50A: Slugger with second-most grand slams: MANNY RAMIREZ
3D: "Lethal Weapon" star: DANNY GLOVER
25D: Candy brand: FANNY FARMER
LANNY WADKINS is a familiar name to most golf nuts. He used to cover every PGA Championship for CBS. I did not know that he won 1977 PGA. Filled in MANNY RAMIREZ quickly, though I had no idea that he has the second-most grand slams (20), only 3 behind the record holder Lou Gehrig. Had no problem getting DANNY GLOVER. But FANNY FARMER was new to me.
Nice and easy puzzle for me. There were several unfamiliar names, but most were obtainable from the adjacent fills. I liked how the two Across theme answers intersect the two Down clues.
My favorite today is the clue for YUAN (52D: Dynasty before Ming). YUAN is mostly known as "Chinese Currency ". YUAN Dynasty (1271-1368) was founded by Khubai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan.
In his poem, Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem wrote: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan /A stately pleasure-dome decree /Where Alph, the sacred river, ran /Through caverns measureless to man/Down to a sunless sea."
Most of the crossword constructors must be excited that Obama won the election. Now they can have fun cluing his two daughters' names: Malia and Sasha, very crossword-friendly, plenty of vowels.
Across:
1A: Brewski: SUDS. This reminds me of a clue for ALE: "Bath suds". Bath is the spa capital of the UK. It's located in south-west England. See it? It's close to Bristol.
5A: Shoot from a cover: SNIPE. I love Clint Eastwood/John Malkovich's "In the Line of Fire".
10A: Principal Skinner's nemesis: BART. I got it from the down clues. Have never watched "The Simpsons".
14A: Grizzly weapon: CLAW
23A: Opposite of the seven seas?: DRYLAND. I did not know that DRYLAND is a word.
29A: "Pursuit of the Graf __": SPEE. I've never seen this movie, have you? I cannot understand the fun of "I am as mad as Hell, and I am not going to take it any more!" in Peter Finch's "Network".
31A: "Exodus" hero: ARI. He is portrayed by Paul Newman in the movie.
32A: Bases on balls: WALKS
35A: FDR's Blue Eagle: NRA (National Recovery Administration). NRA is also National Rifle Association of course. I wonder why it's called Blue Eagle instead of Brown Eagle?
38A: Nabokov novel: PNIN. Learned from doing Xword. Have never read this book.
39A: RPM part: REV. I wrote down PER first.
45A: Fire from a low-flying aircraft: STRAFE. I can never remember this word. So close to STRIFE in spelling.
53A: River of Pisa: ARNO. Here is the map. See Florence and Siena?
56A: Bible version: DOUAY. No idea. I strung the answer together from across fills. What is DOUAY?
Down:
2D: Of an arm bone: ULNAR. Ulna: ULNAR. Radius: RADIAL.
4D: Tchaikovsky ballet: SWAN LAKE. Very pretty.
5D: Gives rise to: SPAWNS.
9D: Applied scientist: ENGINEER. I would not have got this answer without the across fills. Such a narrow definition of ENGINEER.
21D: Kissers: YAPS. I sure have problem with English slangs.
26D: Gallico novel, "Mrs. __ Goes to Paris": 'ARRIS. Have you read this novel? I've never heard of it before.
27D: Laughing: RIANT. Present particle of French verb "rire" (laugh). Risible has the same root. (Note: Thanks, Martin.)
32D: Merchandise: WARES. New definition to me. I always associate WARE with hardware, software, silverware, etc.
37D: Magnificent: SPLENDID. Do you like NPR's "The SPLENDID Table"?
38D: First public performance: PREMIERE. Same pronunciation as premier, right?
48D: Love in Limousin: AMOUR. Good alliteration in the clue. "Love in Louvre" (Cupid & Psyche) will be great too.
48D: Silk -cotton tree: CEIBA. See this picture. Kind of like cotton, isn't it? New word to me. Wikipedia says it's also called kapok, and it's a sacred symbol in Maya mythology.
49D: Pound and Stone: EZRAS. Know the poet Pound, have never heard of EZRA Stone before. What is he famous for?
51D: Sushi wrapping: NORI. I also love NORI rice cracker.
55D: Keanu in "The Matrix": NEO
C.C.
20A: 1977 PGA Championship winner: LANNY WADKINS
50A: Slugger with second-most grand slams: MANNY RAMIREZ
3D: "Lethal Weapon" star: DANNY GLOVER
25D: Candy brand: FANNY FARMER
LANNY WADKINS is a familiar name to most golf nuts. He used to cover every PGA Championship for CBS. I did not know that he won 1977 PGA. Filled in MANNY RAMIREZ quickly, though I had no idea that he has the second-most grand slams (20), only 3 behind the record holder Lou Gehrig. Had no problem getting DANNY GLOVER. But FANNY FARMER was new to me.
Nice and easy puzzle for me. There were several unfamiliar names, but most were obtainable from the adjacent fills. I liked how the two Across theme answers intersect the two Down clues.
My favorite today is the clue for YUAN (52D: Dynasty before Ming). YUAN is mostly known as "Chinese Currency ". YUAN Dynasty (1271-1368) was founded by Khubai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan.
In his poem, Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem wrote: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan /A stately pleasure-dome decree /Where Alph, the sacred river, ran /Through caverns measureless to man/Down to a sunless sea."
The Dynasty before YUAN is called Song, and the Dynasty after Ming is Qing, the last Dynasty in China. Had to memorize this in primary school, the same as you did for all the 43 US Presidents I suppose.
Most of the crossword constructors must be excited that Obama won the election. Now they can have fun cluing his two daughters' names: Malia and Sasha, very crossword-friendly, plenty of vowels.
Across:
1A: Brewski: SUDS. This reminds me of a clue for ALE: "Bath suds". Bath is the spa capital of the UK. It's located in south-west England. See it? It's close to Bristol.
5A: Shoot from a cover: SNIPE. I love Clint Eastwood/John Malkovich's "In the Line of Fire".
10A: Principal Skinner's nemesis: BART. I got it from the down clues. Have never watched "The Simpsons".
14A: Grizzly weapon: CLAW
23A: Opposite of the seven seas?: DRYLAND. I did not know that DRYLAND is a word.
29A: "Pursuit of the Graf __": SPEE. I've never seen this movie, have you? I cannot understand the fun of "I am as mad as Hell, and I am not going to take it any more!" in Peter Finch's "Network".
31A: "Exodus" hero: ARI. He is portrayed by Paul Newman in the movie.
32A: Bases on balls: WALKS
35A: FDR's Blue Eagle: NRA (National Recovery Administration). NRA is also National Rifle Association of course. I wonder why it's called Blue Eagle instead of Brown Eagle?
38A: Nabokov novel: PNIN. Learned from doing Xword. Have never read this book.
39A: RPM part: REV. I wrote down PER first.
45A: Fire from a low-flying aircraft: STRAFE. I can never remember this word. So close to STRIFE in spelling.
53A: River of Pisa: ARNO. Here is the map. See Florence and Siena?
56A: Bible version: DOUAY. No idea. I strung the answer together from across fills. What is DOUAY?
Down:
2D: Of an arm bone: ULNAR. Ulna: ULNAR. Radius: RADIAL.
4D: Tchaikovsky ballet: SWAN LAKE. Very pretty.
5D: Gives rise to: SPAWNS.
9D: Applied scientist: ENGINEER. I would not have got this answer without the across fills. Such a narrow definition of ENGINEER.
21D: Kissers: YAPS. I sure have problem with English slangs.
26D: Gallico novel, "Mrs. __ Goes to Paris": 'ARRIS. Have you read this novel? I've never heard of it before.
27D: Laughing: RIANT. Present particle of French verb "rire" (laugh). Risible has the same root. (Note: Thanks, Martin.)
32D: Merchandise: WARES. New definition to me. I always associate WARE with hardware, software, silverware, etc.
37D: Magnificent: SPLENDID. Do you like NPR's "The SPLENDID Table"?
38D: First public performance: PREMIERE. Same pronunciation as premier, right?
48D: Love in Limousin: AMOUR. Good alliteration in the clue. "Love in Louvre" (Cupid & Psyche) will be great too.
48D: Silk -cotton tree: CEIBA. See this picture. Kind of like cotton, isn't it? New word to me. Wikipedia says it's also called kapok, and it's a sacred symbol in Maya mythology.
49D: Pound and Stone: EZRAS. Know the poet Pound, have never heard of EZRA Stone before. What is he famous for?
51D: Sushi wrapping: NORI. I also love NORI rice cracker.
55D: Keanu in "The Matrix": NEO
C.C.
