Theme: Same Rhymes
18A: Comden/Green musical: AUNTIE MAME
24A: Rainout remedy: MAKEUP GAME
37A: University of South Bend: NOTRE DAME
54A: Cooperstown attraction: HALL OF FAME
61A: Delano or Alva, e.g.: MIDDLE NAME
I wish I could say "I CAME, I saw, I conquered". With all those ?AME endings, you would think I should have finished this puzzle without googling or wite-out.
I love the appearance of SURI (33A: Daughter of Tom Cruise). I also like the clueing of ALASKAN (3D: Palin, to name one). I could picture this constructor having fun working out his puzzle rather than sitting in the libary and laboring over some archaic fills.
I only wish LONGA (7D: Ars__, vita brevis) were clued differently. You know, with MAME, GAME, DAME, FAME and NAME, don't you think LONG A would be a better fill? How about the clue "LAME part?"
Across:
5A: Moolah: GELT. I've never heard of this slang before.
9A: Canada's __ National Park: BANFF. I bet no other English word ends with *NFF. What a strange name! I like how BANFF intersects NIAGARA (11D: Famous falls).
14A: Stitch's sidekick: LILO. I can never remember this Disney film. Always confuse LILO with REN ("Stimpy's pal").
15A: Melville novel: OMOO. The "Typee" sequel.
16A: Historian Durant: ARIEL. I would not have got this name without the down fills. I am more familiar with "Disney's Little Mermaid" clue. ARIEL Durant and her husband spent over 40 years writing "The Story of Civilization", and they died within 2 weeks of each other. How moving! I like this Will Durant quote: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within".
17A: Comet rival: AJAX
20A: Legendary Cardinal: MUSIAL (Stan). A rare gimme for me. He is in HOF.
22A: Stan of sax jazz: GETZ
27A: "Bambi" character: ENA. Also the "Spanish queen".
52A: Toshiba rival: NEC
53A: Channel island: SARK. See this map. It's new to me.
59A: Golf warning: FORE. I think the most dangerous shot in golf is shank. Are you a hooker or a slicer?
64A: Australian lake: EYRE. It's in South Australia. Saw this clue somewhere before. I am sure Jane EYRE is happy to stay away from this unwanted Xword limelight.
66A: Reebok rival: AVIA. The other 4-letter rival is FILA.
67A: Weizman of Israel: EZER. I googled. EZER Weisman was Israel's 7th President (1993-2000).
69A: Ex-Georgia Senator Miller: ZELL. I watched and loved this interview, but I forgot the senator's name. I wanted Zoey.
Down:
1D: Big house: SLAMMER. Slang for prison. "Big House" is new to me. I was thinking of mansion.
2D: San Diego's sister city: TIJUANA. The answer revealed itself after I filled in the surrounds. I did not know this before.
4D: Roker of "The Jeffersons": ROXIE. Which one is Roker? I've never heard of this actress or "The Jeffersons". I am surprised that ROXIE is not clued as "Velma's rival in "Chicago", since this constructor seems to be in a rival mood today.
5D: Gridiron upright: GOAL POST
6D: Big bird Down Under: EMU. Look at this EMU egg. Is it edible?
8D: Kind of pole: TOTEM
9D: Joan of folk: BAEZ. Here is Joan BAEZ and Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind". I think I like Peter, Paul and Mary's version.
13D: Language of Flanders: FLEMISH. Most Belgians seem to be fluent in French, FLEMISH and English.
25D: Natural vessel: GOURD. This reminds of my grandma's GOURD scooper. What's the difference between GOURD and squash?
26D: Normand of silent movies: MABEL. She appeared in many movies with Chaplin. I've never heard of her name before.
42D: Fulminations: TIRADES. "Fulmination" is a new word to me. The spelling is so similar to fumigation.
45D: Break down: ANALYZE. Do you like "ANALYZE This"?
46D: Imation rival: MEMOREX. I had no familarity with MEMOREX.
47D: Ham actor's nosh: SCENERY. See Chew the SCENERY origin.
56D: Tear out: LEAVE. Is this a slang? I've never heard of it.
57D: Tears out: FLEES. I used to be very bothered by the same clue for different answers. Not any more. It's not a crossword construction sin.
59D: "___ Joy" (1972 Supremes hit): FLOY. New song to me.
63D: Inch fraction: MIL. Brewers fans probably want another clue for MIL.
C.C.
18A: Comden/Green musical: AUNTIE MAME
24A: Rainout remedy: MAKEUP GAME
37A: University of South Bend: NOTRE DAME
54A: Cooperstown attraction: HALL OF FAME
61A: Delano or Alva, e.g.: MIDDLE NAME
I wish I could say "I CAME, I saw, I conquered". With all those ?AME endings, you would think I should have finished this puzzle without googling or wite-out.
I love the appearance of SURI (33A: Daughter of Tom Cruise). I also like the clueing of ALASKAN (3D: Palin, to name one). I could picture this constructor having fun working out his puzzle rather than sitting in the libary and laboring over some archaic fills.
I only wish LONGA (7D: Ars__, vita brevis) were clued differently. You know, with MAME, GAME, DAME, FAME and NAME, don't you think LONG A would be a better fill? How about the clue "LAME part?"
Across:
5A: Moolah: GELT. I've never heard of this slang before.
9A: Canada's __ National Park: BANFF. I bet no other English word ends with *NFF. What a strange name! I like how BANFF intersects NIAGARA (11D: Famous falls).
14A: Stitch's sidekick: LILO. I can never remember this Disney film. Always confuse LILO with REN ("Stimpy's pal").
15A: Melville novel: OMOO. The "Typee" sequel.
16A: Historian Durant: ARIEL. I would not have got this name without the down fills. I am more familiar with "Disney's Little Mermaid" clue. ARIEL Durant and her husband spent over 40 years writing "The Story of Civilization", and they died within 2 weeks of each other. How moving! I like this Will Durant quote: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within".
17A: Comet rival: AJAX
20A: Legendary Cardinal: MUSIAL (Stan). A rare gimme for me. He is in HOF.
22A: Stan of sax jazz: GETZ
27A: "Bambi" character: ENA. Also the "Spanish queen".
52A: Toshiba rival: NEC
53A: Channel island: SARK. See this map. It's new to me.
59A: Golf warning: FORE. I think the most dangerous shot in golf is shank. Are you a hooker or a slicer?
64A: Australian lake: EYRE. It's in South Australia. Saw this clue somewhere before. I am sure Jane EYRE is happy to stay away from this unwanted Xword limelight.
66A: Reebok rival: AVIA. The other 4-letter rival is FILA.
67A: Weizman of Israel: EZER. I googled. EZER Weisman was Israel's 7th President (1993-2000).
69A: Ex-Georgia Senator Miller: ZELL. I watched and loved this interview, but I forgot the senator's name. I wanted Zoey.
Down:
1D: Big house: SLAMMER. Slang for prison. "Big House" is new to me. I was thinking of mansion.
2D: San Diego's sister city: TIJUANA. The answer revealed itself after I filled in the surrounds. I did not know this before.
4D: Roker of "The Jeffersons": ROXIE. Which one is Roker? I've never heard of this actress or "The Jeffersons". I am surprised that ROXIE is not clued as "Velma's rival in "Chicago", since this constructor seems to be in a rival mood today.
5D: Gridiron upright: GOAL POST
6D: Big bird Down Under: EMU. Look at this EMU egg. Is it edible?
8D: Kind of pole: TOTEM
9D: Joan of folk: BAEZ. Here is Joan BAEZ and Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind". I think I like Peter, Paul and Mary's version.
13D: Language of Flanders: FLEMISH. Most Belgians seem to be fluent in French, FLEMISH and English.
25D: Natural vessel: GOURD. This reminds of my grandma's GOURD scooper. What's the difference between GOURD and squash?
26D: Normand of silent movies: MABEL. She appeared in many movies with Chaplin. I've never heard of her name before.
42D: Fulminations: TIRADES. "Fulmination" is a new word to me. The spelling is so similar to fumigation.
45D: Break down: ANALYZE. Do you like "ANALYZE This"?
46D: Imation rival: MEMOREX. I had no familarity with MEMOREX.
47D: Ham actor's nosh: SCENERY. See Chew the SCENERY origin.
56D: Tear out: LEAVE. Is this a slang? I've never heard of it.
57D: Tears out: FLEES. I used to be very bothered by the same clue for different answers. Not any more. It's not a crossword construction sin.
59D: "___ Joy" (1972 Supremes hit): FLOY. New song to me.
63D: Inch fraction: MIL. Brewers fans probably want another clue for MIL.
C.C.
