Theme: None
Total blocks: 31
Total words: 72
This sure looks like a weekday grid, doesn't it? So many blocks and so many words. In case you forgot, the maximum amount of words allowed in a TMS Saturday themeless puzzle is 72.
Not an easy puzzle for me today. I used lots of Wite-Out. Misread a few clues and filled in several answers recklessly. Penned in EPEE instead of RAIL for 20D: Fence piece (thought it was "Fencing piece"). Also wrote down RED instead of ODD for 43A: Roulette bet.
I disliked the clue for TEAPOTS (52A: Tabletop brewers) because TABLEWARE (42A: Dining gear) is an answer in the grid. Seeing the clue for BIG TEN (31A: Conference of Golden Gophers) makes me happy.
Across:
1A: Aussie burrows: WOMBATS. He does look like a bear, doesn't he?
15A: Caspian's neighbor: ARAL SEA. See this map. They are not neighbors to me.
16A: Somewhat dilatory: SLOWISH. "Dilatory" is a new word to me. I thought it's related to dilate.
19A: "Dora Maar" painter: PICASSO. His "Dora Maar au Chat" was sold over $95 million at a Sotheby's auction in 2006. Astonishing! Gertrude Stein was very sympathetic to Dora Maar, who cried a lot during her tumultuous relationship with PICASSO.
20A: Disavowed: RECANTED. I misread the clue as "Disowned" initially.
22A: Particle in a meson: QUARK. New word to me.
25A: Oscar role for Ingrid Bergman: ANASTASIA. Not familiar with this movie. All I could think of is ILSA from "Casablanca".
28A: Vivian of "I Love Lucy": VANCE. I googled her name. Here is a nice clip.
30A: Like many elements: NONMETAL. The answer did not come to me immediately. I penned in MAC instead of MAN for the intersecting 21A: Fellow.
33A: Big mil. brass: GENL. The common abbreviation is GEN, right?
34A: "Dracula" writer: STOKER (Bram). Hot ER ending name.
37D: Market protests: BOYCOTTS
41A: Flower sepals: CALYX. The plural form of CALYX is either CALYXES or CALYCES. Good diagram.
44A: Intrinsically: PER SE. And 3D: Intrinsic quality: ESSENCE
45A: Western moniker: TEX (Ritter). He was the singer for "High Noon".
46A: Serpent: OPHIDIAN. Another new word to me.
49A: Webber musical: CATS. The only Webber musical that I know.
51A: Fawning sycophants: TOADIES
55A: Gregory Nava film of 1983: EL NORTE. No idea. Have you seen this movie before?
56A: Air sacs in the lungs: ALVEOLI. Singular form is alveolus. Foreign to me also.
57A: Minium: RED LEAD. Both the clue and the answer are new to me. I only realize right now that the clue is "Minium", not "Minimum".
Down:
2D: Pizza herb: OREGANO
3D: Greek cape: MATAPAN. See Cape MATAPAN on the upper middle part? I've never heard of this place. I thought the clue was asking for a Greek garment.
8D: Ad Astra per __ (Kansas motto): ASPERA. No idea. Literally "To the stars with difficulty". I wonder why Minnesota picked up a French "L'étoile du Nord" motto instead of a Latin one.
9D: Mouse sound: CLICK
11D: McGregor of "Moulin Rouge": EWAN. See this photo of him and Nicole Kidman. I gave up "Moulin Rouge" after watching it for a few minutes. Could not understand it.
12D: Far off: DISTANT. Cool is "Far out". Very confusing to me.
14D: Wearing wingtips: SHODDEN. I did not know the meaning of "wingtips".
22D: Doha's land: QATAR. This I know. The Doha forum. Al Jazeera is also headquatered in Doha.
23D: Mil. branch: USAF
26D: Great __ Mountains: SMOKY. I wonder why SMOKEY BEAR is not spelled as SMOKY Bear.
27D: E-mail forerunner: TELEX. Boy, can you imagine life without email now?
29D: Love-lit: AGLOW. Was I the only one who thought the clue is a shortened form of "Love literature"?
31D: Stendhal's last name: BEYLE (Henri-Marie). Got his name from across fills. He wrote "Le Rough et le Noir".
34D: Motorcycle's little brother: SCOOTER. I rather like the coded message "SCOOTER" Libby wrote to Judy Miller : "... Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them..."
35D: Frog of the future: TADPOLE. I had PRINCE in mind.
36D: Veteran: OLD HAND
39D: Bridge supporter: TRESTLE
44D: Pitiful piece of art?: PIETA. Good clue.
49D: Spelunking location: CAVE. I had to look up in the dictionary for "Spelunk". The study of the CAVE is speleogy, and the person who explores the cave is speleogist.
C.C.
Total blocks: 31
Total words: 72
This sure looks like a weekday grid, doesn't it? So many blocks and so many words. In case you forgot, the maximum amount of words allowed in a TMS Saturday themeless puzzle is 72.
Not an easy puzzle for me today. I used lots of Wite-Out. Misread a few clues and filled in several answers recklessly. Penned in EPEE instead of RAIL for 20D: Fence piece (thought it was "Fencing piece"). Also wrote down RED instead of ODD for 43A: Roulette bet.
I disliked the clue for TEAPOTS (52A: Tabletop brewers) because TABLEWARE (42A: Dining gear) is an answer in the grid. Seeing the clue for BIG TEN (31A: Conference of Golden Gophers) makes me happy.
Across:
1A: Aussie burrows: WOMBATS. He does look like a bear, doesn't he?
15A: Caspian's neighbor: ARAL SEA. See this map. They are not neighbors to me.
16A: Somewhat dilatory: SLOWISH. "Dilatory" is a new word to me. I thought it's related to dilate.
19A: "Dora Maar" painter: PICASSO. His "Dora Maar au Chat" was sold over $95 million at a Sotheby's auction in 2006. Astonishing! Gertrude Stein was very sympathetic to Dora Maar, who cried a lot during her tumultuous relationship with PICASSO.
20A: Disavowed: RECANTED. I misread the clue as "Disowned" initially.
22A: Particle in a meson: QUARK. New word to me.
25A: Oscar role for Ingrid Bergman: ANASTASIA. Not familiar with this movie. All I could think of is ILSA from "Casablanca".
28A: Vivian of "I Love Lucy": VANCE. I googled her name. Here is a nice clip.
30A: Like many elements: NONMETAL. The answer did not come to me immediately. I penned in MAC instead of MAN for the intersecting 21A: Fellow.
33A: Big mil. brass: GENL. The common abbreviation is GEN, right?
34A: "Dracula" writer: STOKER (Bram). Hot ER ending name.
37D: Market protests: BOYCOTTS
41A: Flower sepals: CALYX. The plural form of CALYX is either CALYXES or CALYCES. Good diagram.
44A: Intrinsically: PER SE. And 3D: Intrinsic quality: ESSENCE
45A: Western moniker: TEX (Ritter). He was the singer for "High Noon".
46A: Serpent: OPHIDIAN. Another new word to me.
49A: Webber musical: CATS. The only Webber musical that I know.
51A: Fawning sycophants: TOADIES
55A: Gregory Nava film of 1983: EL NORTE. No idea. Have you seen this movie before?
56A: Air sacs in the lungs: ALVEOLI. Singular form is alveolus. Foreign to me also.
57A: Minium: RED LEAD. Both the clue and the answer are new to me. I only realize right now that the clue is "Minium", not "Minimum".
Down:
2D: Pizza herb: OREGANO
3D: Greek cape: MATAPAN. See Cape MATAPAN on the upper middle part? I've never heard of this place. I thought the clue was asking for a Greek garment.
8D: Ad Astra per __ (Kansas motto): ASPERA. No idea. Literally "To the stars with difficulty". I wonder why Minnesota picked up a French "L'étoile du Nord" motto instead of a Latin one.
9D: Mouse sound: CLICK
11D: McGregor of "Moulin Rouge": EWAN. See this photo of him and Nicole Kidman. I gave up "Moulin Rouge" after watching it for a few minutes. Could not understand it.
12D: Far off: DISTANT. Cool is "Far out". Very confusing to me.
14D: Wearing wingtips: SHODDEN. I did not know the meaning of "wingtips".
22D: Doha's land: QATAR. This I know. The Doha forum. Al Jazeera is also headquatered in Doha.
23D: Mil. branch: USAF
26D: Great __ Mountains: SMOKY. I wonder why SMOKEY BEAR is not spelled as SMOKY Bear.
27D: E-mail forerunner: TELEX. Boy, can you imagine life without email now?
29D: Love-lit: AGLOW. Was I the only one who thought the clue is a shortened form of "Love literature"?
31D: Stendhal's last name: BEYLE (Henri-Marie). Got his name from across fills. He wrote "Le Rough et le Noir".
34D: Motorcycle's little brother: SCOOTER. I rather like the coded message "SCOOTER" Libby wrote to Judy Miller : "... Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them..."
35D: Frog of the future: TADPOLE. I had PRINCE in mind.
36D: Veteran: OLD HAND
39D: Bridge supporter: TRESTLE
44D: Pitiful piece of art?: PIETA. Good clue.
49D: Spelunking location: CAVE. I had to look up in the dictionary for "Spelunk". The study of the CAVE is speleogy, and the person who explores the cave is speleogist.
C.C.
