Theme: Eloquence in Politics
20A: Start of Mario Cuomo quip: YOU CAMPAIGN IN
36A: Part 2 of quip: POETRY. YOU
54A: End of quip: GOVERN IN PROSE
Wow, I always thought this was Hillary Clinton's original quote. I am eager to see if Obama can deliver what he has promised. I've been mesmerized by his oratory style, very poetic.
Mario Cuomo had left the political arena when I arrived in the US, so I don't have a good understanding of his political philosophy. This is such a great line, so succinct and true. It kind of reminds me Beverley Nicols' quote on marriage: "Marriage is a book in which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters written in prose."
Quite a few EE combinations in the grid. Very bad clue for MERGE (31D: Blend together). See 9D: Amalgam: BLEND. A simple "Traffic sign" would have avoided this duplication. I also dislike the clue for NATO (56D: Amer.-Eur. alliance). Canada and US are NATO members. Mexico is not. Why "Amer." then? The clue is not tight.
I also don't understand the clue for GEES (42A: Launch forces). How so?
Across:
1A: FBI agent: G-MAN
9A: Full-scale attack: BLITZ. I am glad the campaign ad BLITZ is over.
17A: NYC theater: ANTA (American National Theatre and Academy). No idea. Is it very famous? Why British spelling for "Theatre"?
18A: Afrikaner: BOER. "Farmer" in Dutch.
28A: Orch. section: STR
29A: Disney dwarf: GRUMPY. Hmm, too bland a clue. I really like the "Happy colleague?" clue for "DOC" last time. "Sleepy friend?" or "Dopey pal?" or "Bashful buddy?" all sound great.
32A: Apple leftover: CORE. And PIP (36D: Apple seed). Have you tried honeycrisp yet?
33A: Scottish River: TAY. It's the longest river in Scotland.
43A: Big galoot: OAF. KLUTZ will be a great fill too. Very scrabbly.
51A: A Gabor: EVA. I like this Anne Bancroft "Yma Dream" too. I suppose you can add Uma (Thurman), Oprah, Yoko (Ono), etc. Oh, Yo-Yo Ma too. Who else can you think of?
52A: Thelma or Tex: RITTER. Know Tex RITTER, not Thelma.
61A: Andy's radio partner: AMOS. I memorized it from doing Xword. Did you listen to it when you were a kid?
67A: Low-blow weapon: KNEE. Very unexpected clue for me.
Down:
2D: Canon rival: MINOLTA. I am not familiar with this brand. It's merged with Konica in 2003.
3D: Insurance statistician: ACTUARY
4D: Rights grp.: NAACP. Wow, it's founded in 1909.
5D: Go under: SUBMERGE
7D: Primal goddess of Greeks: GAEA. She is the Mother Earth. Her husband Uranus is Father Sky. They are parents of Titans and the ugly Cyclopes. Zeus is their grandson. I am getting better at this Greek Mythology.
11D: Sir Walter Scott hero: IVANHOE. Nope, I've never heard of this hero or the book. Interesting, Wikipedia that Robin Hood is mentioned in this novel also.
13D: Final letter: ZEE. Another insipid clue. What about "Head of Zoo"?
27D: "The One I Love": R.E.M. Here is the song. What does "Another prop has occupied my time" mean?
35D: Rumor spreader: GOSSIP
38D: Ones who pine: YEARNERS. Is this even a word?
40D: Poetic planet: ORB
44D: Truly amazing: AWESOME. I love Doesitinink's "There is no charge for awesomeness." AWESOME!
57D: Fertility goddess: ISIS. It's a Egyptian goddess. This is ISIS nursing her son Horus. Notice her cow-horned head? That's her symbol.
C.C.
20A: Start of Mario Cuomo quip: YOU CAMPAIGN IN
36A: Part 2 of quip: POETRY. YOU
54A: End of quip: GOVERN IN PROSE
Wow, I always thought this was Hillary Clinton's original quote. I am eager to see if Obama can deliver what he has promised. I've been mesmerized by his oratory style, very poetic.
Mario Cuomo had left the political arena when I arrived in the US, so I don't have a good understanding of his political philosophy. This is such a great line, so succinct and true. It kind of reminds me Beverley Nicols' quote on marriage: "Marriage is a book in which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters written in prose."
Quite a few EE combinations in the grid. Very bad clue for MERGE (31D: Blend together). See 9D: Amalgam: BLEND. A simple "Traffic sign" would have avoided this duplication. I also dislike the clue for NATO (56D: Amer.-Eur. alliance). Canada and US are NATO members. Mexico is not. Why "Amer." then? The clue is not tight.
I also don't understand the clue for GEES (42A: Launch forces). How so?
Across:
1A: FBI agent: G-MAN
9A: Full-scale attack: BLITZ. I am glad the campaign ad BLITZ is over.
17A: NYC theater: ANTA (American National Theatre and Academy). No idea. Is it very famous? Why British spelling for "Theatre"?
18A: Afrikaner: BOER. "Farmer" in Dutch.
28A: Orch. section: STR
29A: Disney dwarf: GRUMPY. Hmm, too bland a clue. I really like the "Happy colleague?" clue for "DOC" last time. "Sleepy friend?" or "Dopey pal?" or "Bashful buddy?" all sound great.
32A: Apple leftover: CORE. And PIP (36D: Apple seed). Have you tried honeycrisp yet?
33A: Scottish River: TAY. It's the longest river in Scotland.
43A: Big galoot: OAF. KLUTZ will be a great fill too. Very scrabbly.
51A: A Gabor: EVA. I like this Anne Bancroft "Yma Dream" too. I suppose you can add Uma (Thurman), Oprah, Yoko (Ono), etc. Oh, Yo-Yo Ma too. Who else can you think of?
52A: Thelma or Tex: RITTER. Know Tex RITTER, not Thelma.
61A: Andy's radio partner: AMOS. I memorized it from doing Xword. Did you listen to it when you were a kid?
67A: Low-blow weapon: KNEE. Very unexpected clue for me.
Down:
2D: Canon rival: MINOLTA. I am not familiar with this brand. It's merged with Konica in 2003.
3D: Insurance statistician: ACTUARY
4D: Rights grp.: NAACP. Wow, it's founded in 1909.
5D: Go under: SUBMERGE
7D: Primal goddess of Greeks: GAEA. She is the Mother Earth. Her husband Uranus is Father Sky. They are parents of Titans and the ugly Cyclopes. Zeus is their grandson. I am getting better at this Greek Mythology.
11D: Sir Walter Scott hero: IVANHOE. Nope, I've never heard of this hero or the book. Interesting, Wikipedia that Robin Hood is mentioned in this novel also.
13D: Final letter: ZEE. Another insipid clue. What about "Head of Zoo"?
27D: "The One I Love": R.E.M. Here is the song. What does "Another prop has occupied my time" mean?
35D: Rumor spreader: GOSSIP
38D: Ones who pine: YEARNERS. Is this even a word?
40D: Poetic planet: ORB
44D: Truly amazing: AWESOME. I love Doesitinink's "There is no charge for awesomeness." AWESOME!
57D: Fertility goddess: ISIS. It's a Egyptian goddess. This is ISIS nursing her son Horus. Notice her cow-horned head? That's her symbol.
C.C.
