Theme: None
Total block: 38
Total word: 68
What's so special today? Why two crosses in the grid? Pure coincidence?
Funny how visual images can be so misguiding. After a quick glance at the simple grid, I had thought we might have a new record for the lowest total blocks. So wrong. It turns out that this puzzle actually has the highest number of black squares, though the total word count is quite low.
Still some suffixes, but not too excessive. CERN struck me as very obscure, but it's obtainable from the crossing fills, so is YAOUNDE.
But I cheated too early. Should have worked hard for MALACHI instead of looking up in the Reference Supplement section of my dictionary for "Books of Bible" immediately. Definitely not a satisfying solving experience.
Across:
1A: Awllike tool: ICEPICK. The weapon Sharon Stone used in "Basic Instinct". Leon Trotsky was also murdered with an ICEPICK.
8A:Lug laboriously: SCHLEPP. I thought it's SCHLEP, one P.
15A: Old Testament closer: MALACHI. Wikipedia says MALACHI might not be "the name of the author, since MALACHI means 'my messenger' or 'my angel' in Hebrew".
16A: Rigby of song: ELEANOR. By The Beatles. Unknown to me, the tune sounds very familiar though.
18A: Alternative to pasta: RISOTTO. There is really a science behind a perfect RISOTTO. Very complicated to prepare.
20A: Poetic globe: ORB. Or "Eye, poetically".
21A: Troy, NY school: RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). My brain simply refuses to accept this school name. What is RPI famous for?
22A: Uris novel, with "The": HAJ. It was QB VII yesterday.
28A: Herbal quaff: SAGE TEA. I've never had SAGE TEA. Guess that's why I can't even finish a Saturday puzzle without cheating.
29A: Grp. of gridders: AFC (American Football Conference). I thought of NFL. Holy cow, the Vikings belongs to NFC. I didn't even know that. OK, now I know TDS, QBS, NFL, AFC and NFC. What else? Oh, YDS & wardrobe malfunction.
30A: Eur. particle accelerator location: CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire - European Council for Nuclear Research). It's the the world's largest particle physics lab according to Wikipedi. Doesn't feel like it's something worth knowing.
32A: Work unit: ERG. Ten-millionth of a joule.
35A: Old-style second person verb: WOULDST. Strung the answer together with the crossing help.
38A: Illumination unit: LUX. What? I thought LUX is a brand of soap.
40A: Primitive plant: ALGA. Nori, kelp and other seaweeds are all ALGAE.
42A: Take over for: RELIEVE. Ah, how I miss baseball! Goose Goosage made into HOF last year. He is a great reliever.
46A: Fractional ending: ETH. "Biblical verb ending" as well.
50A: German automobile pioneer: DAIMLER
55A: Can. province: QUE. Next I want "___ Sera, Sera".
56A: Capital of Cameroon: YAOUNDE. No idea. See this map. I wonder what YAOUNDE means in its local language.
62A: Parents: REARERS. I only knew REAR. If it's a valid word, then step-parents are REARERS too. My REARER is my grandma.
63A: Most labyrinthine: MAZIEST. Have never heard of MAZY before.
Down:
1D: Mrs. Marcos: IMELDA. Ah, shoes, of which she had too many. It's like my baseball card collection, very addictive.
2D: Indian pony: CAYUSE. I forgot. Saw this clue/answer before. CAYUSE is named after the Indian tribe.
5D: Discharges from wounds: ICHORS. I rememer ICHOR was clued as "Blood of gods" before,
6D: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. Another new word to me. Is it pronounced the same as Korea?
8D: Saw-toothed: SERRATED
13D: French stewlike dish: POT-AU-FEU. I won't link a picture, since so many of you just hate this dish.
14D: Item on a secret agenda: PROJECT X
25D: Inveigh: DECLAIM. So many *claim words: DECLAIM, disclaim, reclaim, proclaim, exclaim, acclaim and misclaim.
34D: Sword lily: GLADIOLA. Not my favorite flower. Too wild for me. I did not know it's also called "Sword lily" though.
36D: Poisonous shrub: OLEANDER. Which part is poisonous?
43D: Jewish Jehovah: ELOHIM. You would think this would be a gimme for me after reading your comments three weeks ago. But no. Dear God, please let me know your name next time.
44D: City in a Shakespeare title: VERONA. "The Two Gentlemen of VERONA".
45D: Poor quality imitation: ERSATZ. Dealt with too many ERSATZ luxury products when I worked with Pinkerton (Intellectual Investigation) in China.
57D: Egy-Syr., for a time: UAR (United Arab Republic). Between 1958 to 1961, during Nasser's presidency.
C.C.
Total block: 38
Total word: 68
What's so special today? Why two crosses in the grid? Pure coincidence?
Funny how visual images can be so misguiding. After a quick glance at the simple grid, I had thought we might have a new record for the lowest total blocks. So wrong. It turns out that this puzzle actually has the highest number of black squares, though the total word count is quite low.
Still some suffixes, but not too excessive. CERN struck me as very obscure, but it's obtainable from the crossing fills, so is YAOUNDE.
But I cheated too early. Should have worked hard for MALACHI instead of looking up in the Reference Supplement section of my dictionary for "Books of Bible" immediately. Definitely not a satisfying solving experience.
Across:
1A: Awllike tool: ICEPICK. The weapon Sharon Stone used in "Basic Instinct". Leon Trotsky was also murdered with an ICEPICK.
8A:Lug laboriously: SCHLEPP. I thought it's SCHLEP, one P.
15A: Old Testament closer: MALACHI. Wikipedia says MALACHI might not be "the name of the author, since MALACHI means 'my messenger' or 'my angel' in Hebrew".
16A: Rigby of song: ELEANOR. By The Beatles. Unknown to me, the tune sounds very familiar though.
18A: Alternative to pasta: RISOTTO. There is really a science behind a perfect RISOTTO. Very complicated to prepare.
20A: Poetic globe: ORB. Or "Eye, poetically".
21A: Troy, NY school: RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). My brain simply refuses to accept this school name. What is RPI famous for?
22A: Uris novel, with "The": HAJ. It was QB VII yesterday.
28A: Herbal quaff: SAGE TEA. I've never had SAGE TEA. Guess that's why I can't even finish a Saturday puzzle without cheating.
29A: Grp. of gridders: AFC (American Football Conference). I thought of NFL. Holy cow, the Vikings belongs to NFC. I didn't even know that. OK, now I know TDS, QBS, NFL, AFC and NFC. What else? Oh, YDS & wardrobe malfunction.
30A: Eur. particle accelerator location: CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire - European Council for Nuclear Research). It's the the world's largest particle physics lab according to Wikipedi. Doesn't feel like it's something worth knowing.
32A: Work unit: ERG. Ten-millionth of a joule.
35A: Old-style second person verb: WOULDST. Strung the answer together with the crossing help.
38A: Illumination unit: LUX. What? I thought LUX is a brand of soap.
40A: Primitive plant: ALGA. Nori, kelp and other seaweeds are all ALGAE.
42A: Take over for: RELIEVE. Ah, how I miss baseball! Goose Goosage made into HOF last year. He is a great reliever.
46A: Fractional ending: ETH. "Biblical verb ending" as well.
50A: German automobile pioneer: DAIMLER
55A: Can. province: QUE. Next I want "___ Sera, Sera".
56A: Capital of Cameroon: YAOUNDE. No idea. See this map. I wonder what YAOUNDE means in its local language.
62A: Parents: REARERS. I only knew REAR. If it's a valid word, then step-parents are REARERS too. My REARER is my grandma.
63A: Most labyrinthine: MAZIEST. Have never heard of MAZY before.
Down:
1D: Mrs. Marcos: IMELDA. Ah, shoes, of which she had too many. It's like my baseball card collection, very addictive.
2D: Indian pony: CAYUSE. I forgot. Saw this clue/answer before. CAYUSE is named after the Indian tribe.
5D: Discharges from wounds: ICHORS. I rememer ICHOR was clued as "Blood of gods" before,
6D: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. Another new word to me. Is it pronounced the same as Korea?
8D: Saw-toothed: SERRATED
13D: French stewlike dish: POT-AU-FEU. I won't link a picture, since so many of you just hate this dish.
14D: Item on a secret agenda: PROJECT X
25D: Inveigh: DECLAIM. So many *claim words: DECLAIM, disclaim, reclaim, proclaim, exclaim, acclaim and misclaim.
34D: Sword lily: GLADIOLA. Not my favorite flower. Too wild for me. I did not know it's also called "Sword lily" though.
36D: Poisonous shrub: OLEANDER. Which part is poisonous?
43D: Jewish Jehovah: ELOHIM. You would think this would be a gimme for me after reading your comments three weeks ago. But no. Dear God, please let me know your name next time.
44D: City in a Shakespeare title: VERONA. "The Two Gentlemen of VERONA".
45D: Poor quality imitation: ERSATZ. Dealt with too many ERSATZ luxury products when I worked with Pinkerton (Intellectual Investigation) in China.
57D: Egy-Syr., for a time: UAR (United Arab Republic). Between 1958 to 1961, during Nasser's presidency.
C.C.
