Theme: Put Pen to Paper
17A: Guarantee against failure: UNDERWRITE
41A: Lacking detail: SKETCHY
62A: Epistolary afterthought: POSTSCRIPT
11D: Pulp paper: NEWSPRINT
36D: Self-propelled railroad car: DOODLEBUG
I've never heard of DOODLEBUG. What a strange name. Good theme, all of above highlighted green-letter words are in verb form.
And a feminine sub-theme:
19A: Org. founded in 1855: YWCA. YMCA is founded in 1844.
69A: Org. of Ochoa and Creamer: LPGA. It's founded in 1950. Great clue. Both Ochoa and Creamer are the backbones of LPGA now. Annika Sorenstam officially called it a quit yesterday in Dubai.
52A: Feminist grp: NOW (National Organization for Women). It's founded in 1966.
Also a Jewish sub-theme:
48A: Passover meals: SEDERS. Funny "20 Things to do with Matzoh".
66A: Hebrew month: ELUL. Last month of Jewish calendar. Did you write down ADAR first?
67A: Jehovah: ELOHIM. No idea. Dictionary defines ELOHIM as "a name for God in the Hebrew Scriptures".
47D: Mystical teachings: var.: KABALA. Madonna, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher all practice CABALA. I think Britney Spears was into it for sometime too.
I wish LEIA (16A: Han Solo's love) were clued as "Han's love" or "Luke's sister" as SOLO was the answer to 59D: Recital piece.
Very choppy solving today. Was stumped by a few proper names. Had to cheat.
Across:
1A: 911 respondent: EMS. EMT is "911 respondent" too.
4A: Ancient Syrian city: ALEPPO. I forgot. It appeared on a TMS Sunday puzzle before. Here is the map. I really don't like the clue "Ancient", even though ALEPPO has been in existence since 1100 B.C. "Ancient" always makes me think that city does not exist any more.
10A: Sicilian resort: ENNA. The "Sicilian volcano" is ETNA.
20A: Baja beach: PLAYA. Spanish for "beach".
21A: Antarctic body: ROSS SEA. Unknown to me. See the map. Strange to look at the world from another angle, isn't it?
37A: Flockhard of "Ally McBeal": CALISTA. They are a great couple.
40A: "The Bronx __": ZOO. Is this the short-lived TV series or the book about Yankees? Both are obscure to me. There are so many other ways to clue ZOO.
44A: Agony: TORTURE. I like Proust's quote "Love is reciprocal TORTURE". He also said "We become moral when we are unhappy". True?
46A: Part of a screwdriver: VODKA. Ah, I love, love this clue. Bloody Mary has VODKA as ingredient too. Virgin Mary does not.
50A: Stick it out: LAST. I misinterpreted the clue as "Stick out", so I had trouble getting LAST. I kept thinking JUT.
53A: Equestrian game: POLO
70A: Mammalian epoch: EOCENE. Would not have got this word without the down entries. EO is a prefix meaning "“primeval' or "early".
Down:
1D: Break out: ERUPT
4D: Gillette blade: ATRA. I wonder why the brand is named ATRA instead of ASTRA. ATRA does not make any sense to me.
5D: Hoad of tennis: LEW. Did not know this Australian tennis player.
7D: Air pressure meas.: PSI (Pounds per Square Inch). I was more familiar with the "Tire pressure meas." See, our editor does not like partial fill, otherwise, he could have also clued PSI as "P.S. I Love You". Such a sweet movie.
8D: Czech physicist Beckmann: PETR. I googled his name. He wrote "The History of PI".
10D: Palais du president: ELYSEE. They live in the Palais de l'Élysée.
22D: Off-course wanderer: STRAYER. STRAY can also be "Off-course wanderer", right?
24D: Military hat: SHAKO. Why is this hat so hard for me to commit to memory?
25D: Well workers: OILERS. Hockey fans probably prefer the the Edmonton OILERS clue.
26D: Composer Benjamin: BRITTEN. Another google. He is a British composer. Is BRITTEN pronounced like Briton?
29D: Rapture: ECSTASY. I wish ECSTASY intersects the clue "Agony" rather than the answer TORTURE.
30D: Former Lisbon coin: ESCUDO. No idea. Wikipedia says it was also a money unit in Spain and its colonies before Euro was ushered in.
34D: Black Sea arm: AZOV. Here is the map. I've never heard of it before.
38D: Hurled: THREW
54D: Small antelope: ORIBI. Her face looks so thin. New antelope to me. I could only think of ELAND, which is huge. I can't believe those horns are hollow.
56D: Scheduled next: ON TAP. ON DECK is "Scheduled next" too.
57D: Belgian singer/songwriter: BREL. This reminds me of a friend. He loves Jacques BREL.
58D: Cry out in pain: YELP. Dogs YELP. Do people YELP also?
C.C.
17A: Guarantee against failure: UNDERWRITE
41A: Lacking detail: SKETCHY
62A: Epistolary afterthought: POSTSCRIPT
11D: Pulp paper: NEWSPRINT
36D: Self-propelled railroad car: DOODLEBUG
I've never heard of DOODLEBUG. What a strange name. Good theme, all of above highlighted green-letter words are in verb form.
And a feminine sub-theme:
19A: Org. founded in 1855: YWCA. YMCA is founded in 1844.
69A: Org. of Ochoa and Creamer: LPGA. It's founded in 1950. Great clue. Both Ochoa and Creamer are the backbones of LPGA now. Annika Sorenstam officially called it a quit yesterday in Dubai.
52A: Feminist grp: NOW (National Organization for Women). It's founded in 1966.
Also a Jewish sub-theme:
48A: Passover meals: SEDERS. Funny "20 Things to do with Matzoh".
66A: Hebrew month: ELUL. Last month of Jewish calendar. Did you write down ADAR first?
67A: Jehovah: ELOHIM. No idea. Dictionary defines ELOHIM as "a name for God in the Hebrew Scriptures".
47D: Mystical teachings: var.: KABALA. Madonna, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher all practice CABALA. I think Britney Spears was into it for sometime too.
I wish LEIA (16A: Han Solo's love) were clued as "Han's love" or "Luke's sister" as SOLO was the answer to 59D: Recital piece.
Very choppy solving today. Was stumped by a few proper names. Had to cheat.
Across:
1A: 911 respondent: EMS. EMT is "911 respondent" too.
4A: Ancient Syrian city: ALEPPO. I forgot. It appeared on a TMS Sunday puzzle before. Here is the map. I really don't like the clue "Ancient", even though ALEPPO has been in existence since 1100 B.C. "Ancient" always makes me think that city does not exist any more.
10A: Sicilian resort: ENNA. The "Sicilian volcano" is ETNA.
20A: Baja beach: PLAYA. Spanish for "beach".
21A: Antarctic body: ROSS SEA. Unknown to me. See the map. Strange to look at the world from another angle, isn't it?
37A: Flockhard of "Ally McBeal": CALISTA. They are a great couple.
40A: "The Bronx __": ZOO. Is this the short-lived TV series or the book about Yankees? Both are obscure to me. There are so many other ways to clue ZOO.
44A: Agony: TORTURE. I like Proust's quote "Love is reciprocal TORTURE". He also said "We become moral when we are unhappy". True?
46A: Part of a screwdriver: VODKA. Ah, I love, love this clue. Bloody Mary has VODKA as ingredient too. Virgin Mary does not.
50A: Stick it out: LAST. I misinterpreted the clue as "Stick out", so I had trouble getting LAST. I kept thinking JUT.
53A: Equestrian game: POLO
70A: Mammalian epoch: EOCENE. Would not have got this word without the down entries. EO is a prefix meaning "“primeval' or "early".
Down:
1D: Break out: ERUPT
4D: Gillette blade: ATRA. I wonder why the brand is named ATRA instead of ASTRA. ATRA does not make any sense to me.
5D: Hoad of tennis: LEW. Did not know this Australian tennis player.
7D: Air pressure meas.: PSI (Pounds per Square Inch). I was more familiar with the "Tire pressure meas." See, our editor does not like partial fill, otherwise, he could have also clued PSI as "P.S. I Love You". Such a sweet movie.
8D: Czech physicist Beckmann: PETR. I googled his name. He wrote "The History of PI".
10D: Palais du president: ELYSEE. They live in the Palais de l'Élysée.
22D: Off-course wanderer: STRAYER. STRAY can also be "Off-course wanderer", right?
24D: Military hat: SHAKO. Why is this hat so hard for me to commit to memory?
25D: Well workers: OILERS. Hockey fans probably prefer the the Edmonton OILERS clue.
26D: Composer Benjamin: BRITTEN. Another google. He is a British composer. Is BRITTEN pronounced like Briton?
29D: Rapture: ECSTASY. I wish ECSTASY intersects the clue "Agony" rather than the answer TORTURE.
30D: Former Lisbon coin: ESCUDO. No idea. Wikipedia says it was also a money unit in Spain and its colonies before Euro was ushered in.
34D: Black Sea arm: AZOV. Here is the map. I've never heard of it before.
38D: Hurled: THREW
54D: Small antelope: ORIBI. Her face looks so thin. New antelope to me. I could only think of ELAND, which is huge. I can't believe those horns are hollow.
56D: Scheduled next: ON TAP. ON DECK is "Scheduled next" too.
57D: Belgian singer/songwriter: BREL. This reminds me of a friend. He loves Jacques BREL.
58D: Cry out in pain: YELP. Dogs YELP. Do people YELP also?
C.C.
