Theme: INNER EAR (38D: Balance organ that's literally found in the answers to starred clues)
20A: *1979 Sister Sledge hit: WE ARE FAMILY
30A: *Look for clues: NOSE AROUND
46A: *"Fatal Attraction" costar: ANNE ARCHER
57A: *Military treatise written by Sun Tzu: THE ART OF WAR
11D: *Decorators' suggestion: AREA RUG
Great theme. All EAR's are split between two words. Normally the unifying entry has no symmetrical partner, so I was surprised by the Down AREA RUGS entry.
I got THE ART OF WAR earlier on. Then read the clue for the tie-in 38D and noticed the organ EAR organ immediately. So I was able to filled in the other EAR's. Otherwise, I would not have got ANN ARCHER. I could only remember Michael Douglas and Glenn Close.
I like the "clue" clues in today's puzzle:
30A: *Look for clues: NOSE AROUND
36A: Clue on a weapon: PRINT
3D: Problms in ths clue: ERRATA. Both "Problems" and "this" are spelled incorrectly.
All in all, a zaftig puzzle, only 32 blocks (sometimes we have 44). Alluringly plump!
Across:
1A: Lieu: STEAD. Nice to have a gimme start.
6A: Start of a 10-Down address: HTTP. And WEB (10D: Blogger's milieu)
10A: Shakes indicating affection, perhaps: WAGS. Dogs. Cute clue.
14A: With 26-Across, city in southern Brazil: PORTO ALEGRE (26A: See 14-Across). Literally "Happy Port". See the red arrow. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says it's the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil.
15A: Operatic number: ARIA. "Number" = "song". Sometimes it's just numb-er: stuff that numbs you. Like "Dentist's number?" for OPIATE.
16A: Diamond stats: ERAS. Baseball diamond. And BAT (53A: Come to the plate)
17A: Robin's weapon: ARROW. Easy guess. Robin Hood. Initially I thought it might refer to Batman's Robin.
18A: Kemo __: SABE. The Lone Ranger.
19A: Longtime pageant host Parks: BERT. First encounter with this guy. His hair is rather thick.
23A: Trailers, e.g.: ADS. Movie trailers. Great clue.
25A: Delay: LAG. I hate internet LAG.
28A: Hormel product: SPAM. Hormel is based in MN. They used to sponsor Twins' bobbleheads.
33A: Indian state bordering Bhutan: ASSAM. The yellow region. Famous for ASSAM tea.
35A: Cheap cigar: STOGIE. Shortened from Conestoga, rural region near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. So-called because it's favored by drivers of the Conestoga style of covered wagons first made there, according to dictionary.
39A: Bellicose Norse god: TYR. Tuesday is named after him. Same pronunciation as "tear". I bet TYR did not tear up easily.
41A: Actress Kudrow et al.: LISAS. Kudrow plays the goofy Phoebe in "Friends".
42A: Justice replaced by Samuel in 2006: SANDRA. Justice O'Connor is an avid golfer.
44A: Melville's first novel: TYPEE. Oh, I did not know it's his first novel.
48A: "Gosh darn it!": RATS. Is this Taco Bell still closed?
52A: Toyota until 2006: CELICA (1970-2006). Wikipedia says CELICA is derived from Latin word coelica, meaning "heavenly" or "celestial".
58A: Pasture: LEA. Have not seen LEI for a long time.
56A:Wall St. purchase: SHR (Share).
60A: React to sad news: WEEP
62A: 1975 Wimbledon winner: ASHE. Timely Wimbledon reference.
64A: Inland Asian sea: ARAL. It's shrinking.
65A: "__ Rock": 1966 hit: I'AM A. Simon and Garfunkel song. I like their "Scarborough Fair" the most.
66A: Jon of "Two and a Half Men": CRYER. Got the answer from Down fills. Have never seen "Two and a Half Men". So the other man is Charlie Sheen.
67A: Thatcher, politically: TORY. The British Conservative party. Gordon Brown, the current Prime Minister, is of Labor Party. Churchill is a TORY too.
68A: Street asset, briefly: CRED. Street CRED.
69A: Wiesbaden's state: HESSE. Wiesbaden is the capital of HESSE. Wikipedia says Wiesbaden is one of the oldest spa towns in Europe. Its name literally means "meadow baths".
Down:
1D: Gives rise to: SPAWNS. Awesome word, with only one vowel.
2D: Shredded: TORE UP
4D: Origin suffix: ATOR. Originator. I wonder if any constructor has tried to clue ALLY as "Origin suffix". Originally.
5D: Wooden connector: DOWEL. Nailed it today.
6D: Tries: HAS A GO AT. Also nailed this multiple word answer.
7D: Lode carrier: TRAM
8D: Leg bones: TIBIAE. The plural can also be TIBIAS.
9D: Spanish stew: PAELLAS. OK, I suppose you can call them stew.
12D: Fragrant flower: GARDENIA. Just learned that the flower is named after Alexander Garden (1730–91), an American physician. Boy, now I look at flow-er, I see river. That's what Rich Norris does to me.
13D: Retd. Air France fliers: SSTS. I like this new clue. "Retd. British fliers" would be a great clue too, since Concordes flew from London Heathrow (British Air) & Paris (Air France) to JFK.
21D: They may be diehards: FANS
22D: Seuss's king of the pond: YERTLE. I forgot. YERTLE the Turtle.
27D: More like a well-made s'more: GOOIER. Can't stand marshmallow.
29D: "Deal or No Deal" host: MANDEL (Howie). Melissa just mentioned that he has germ phobia too.
31D: Rocker Patty who married John McEnroe: SMYTH. No idea. They don't look like a couple.
32D: __ Moines: DES. And Des Moinesian.
34D: The Bosporus, e.g.: STRAIT. Also known as the Istanbul STRAIT, the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation. Approximately 19 miles long. Unknown to me.
36D: Non-commercial TV ad: PSA (Public Service Announcement). PSA also stands for Professional Sports Authenticator, the world's largest sportscard authentication service. See PSA at the very top?
37D: South American spread owner: RANCHERO. New word to me. A good way to clue ERO then. We seem to see EERO (Architect Saarinen) or EROO (Switch ending) often.
40D: Reuben holder: RYE BREAD
43D: Antiquated: ARCHAIC
45D: Rear end: PRAT. Pratfall. Carol has been using this word a lot in her comments lately.
47D: Roman emperor: CAESAR. "Veni, vidi, vici".
49D: Unfailingly: ALWAYS
50D: Flirts with: TEASES
51D: 1964 Nobel Prize decliner: SARTRE. He was probably jealous and angry that Camus got Nobel earlier (1957).
54D: Spelunker's aid: TORCH. spelunker is a great word.
56D: Hit hard: SWAT. Babe Ruth, Sultan of the SWAT. So tell me, why should Babe RUTH be in the Hall of Fame? He drank a lot during his days when drinking was not allowed. Mark McGwire used steroid when it's legal to do so.
58D: Sighed line: AH ME. Misread the clue as "Signed line".
59D: Warning to the gallery: FORE. Golf. I was once hit hard on my left arm. The guy did not shout "FORE".
61D: Practice: PLY. Wrote down TRY first.
Answer grid.
C.C.
20A: *1979 Sister Sledge hit: WE ARE FAMILY
30A: *Look for clues: NOSE AROUND
46A: *"Fatal Attraction" costar: ANNE ARCHER
57A: *Military treatise written by Sun Tzu: THE ART OF WAR
11D: *Decorators' suggestion: AREA RUG
Great theme. All EAR's are split between two words. Normally the unifying entry has no symmetrical partner, so I was surprised by the Down AREA RUGS entry.
I got THE ART OF WAR earlier on. Then read the clue for the tie-in 38D and noticed the organ EAR organ immediately. So I was able to filled in the other EAR's. Otherwise, I would not have got ANN ARCHER. I could only remember Michael Douglas and Glenn Close.
I like the "clue" clues in today's puzzle:
30A: *Look for clues: NOSE AROUND
36A: Clue on a weapon: PRINT
3D: Problms in ths clue: ERRATA. Both "Problems" and "this" are spelled incorrectly.
All in all, a zaftig puzzle, only 32 blocks (sometimes we have 44). Alluringly plump!
Across:
1A: Lieu: STEAD. Nice to have a gimme start.
6A: Start of a 10-Down address: HTTP. And WEB (10D: Blogger's milieu)
10A: Shakes indicating affection, perhaps: WAGS. Dogs. Cute clue.
14A: With 26-Across, city in southern Brazil: PORTO ALEGRE (26A: See 14-Across). Literally "Happy Port". See the red arrow. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says it's the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil.
15A: Operatic number: ARIA. "Number" = "song". Sometimes it's just numb-er: stuff that numbs you. Like "Dentist's number?" for OPIATE.
16A: Diamond stats: ERAS. Baseball diamond. And BAT (53A: Come to the plate)
17A: Robin's weapon: ARROW. Easy guess. Robin Hood. Initially I thought it might refer to Batman's Robin.
18A: Kemo __: SABE. The Lone Ranger.
19A: Longtime pageant host Parks: BERT. First encounter with this guy. His hair is rather thick.
23A: Trailers, e.g.: ADS. Movie trailers. Great clue.
25A: Delay: LAG. I hate internet LAG.
28A: Hormel product: SPAM. Hormel is based in MN. They used to sponsor Twins' bobbleheads.
33A: Indian state bordering Bhutan: ASSAM. The yellow region. Famous for ASSAM tea.
35A: Cheap cigar: STOGIE. Shortened from Conestoga, rural region near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. So-called because it's favored by drivers of the Conestoga style of covered wagons first made there, according to dictionary.
39A: Bellicose Norse god: TYR. Tuesday is named after him. Same pronunciation as "tear". I bet TYR did not tear up easily.
41A: Actress Kudrow et al.: LISAS. Kudrow plays the goofy Phoebe in "Friends".
42A: Justice replaced by Samuel in 2006: SANDRA. Justice O'Connor is an avid golfer.
44A: Melville's first novel: TYPEE. Oh, I did not know it's his first novel.
48A: "Gosh darn it!": RATS. Is this Taco Bell still closed?
52A: Toyota until 2006: CELICA (1970-2006). Wikipedia says CELICA is derived from Latin word coelica, meaning "heavenly" or "celestial".
58A: Pasture: LEA. Have not seen LEI for a long time.
56A:Wall St. purchase: SHR (Share).
60A: React to sad news: WEEP
62A: 1975 Wimbledon winner: ASHE. Timely Wimbledon reference.
64A: Inland Asian sea: ARAL. It's shrinking.
65A: "__ Rock": 1966 hit: I'AM A. Simon and Garfunkel song. I like their "Scarborough Fair" the most.
66A: Jon of "Two and a Half Men": CRYER. Got the answer from Down fills. Have never seen "Two and a Half Men". So the other man is Charlie Sheen.
67A: Thatcher, politically: TORY. The British Conservative party. Gordon Brown, the current Prime Minister, is of Labor Party. Churchill is a TORY too.
68A: Street asset, briefly: CRED. Street CRED.
69A: Wiesbaden's state: HESSE. Wiesbaden is the capital of HESSE. Wikipedia says Wiesbaden is one of the oldest spa towns in Europe. Its name literally means "meadow baths".
Down:
1D: Gives rise to: SPAWNS. Awesome word, with only one vowel.
2D: Shredded: TORE UP
4D: Origin suffix: ATOR. Originator. I wonder if any constructor has tried to clue ALLY as "Origin suffix". Originally.
5D: Wooden connector: DOWEL. Nailed it today.
6D: Tries: HAS A GO AT. Also nailed this multiple word answer.
7D: Lode carrier: TRAM
8D: Leg bones: TIBIAE. The plural can also be TIBIAS.
9D: Spanish stew: PAELLAS. OK, I suppose you can call them stew.
12D: Fragrant flower: GARDENIA. Just learned that the flower is named after Alexander Garden (1730–91), an American physician. Boy, now I look at flow-er, I see river. That's what Rich Norris does to me.
13D: Retd. Air France fliers: SSTS. I like this new clue. "Retd. British fliers" would be a great clue too, since Concordes flew from London Heathrow (British Air) & Paris (Air France) to JFK.
21D: They may be diehards: FANS
22D: Seuss's king of the pond: YERTLE. I forgot. YERTLE the Turtle.
27D: More like a well-made s'more: GOOIER. Can't stand marshmallow.
29D: "Deal or No Deal" host: MANDEL (Howie). Melissa just mentioned that he has germ phobia too.
31D: Rocker Patty who married John McEnroe: SMYTH. No idea. They don't look like a couple.
32D: __ Moines: DES. And Des Moinesian.
34D: The Bosporus, e.g.: STRAIT. Also known as the Istanbul STRAIT, the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation. Approximately 19 miles long. Unknown to me.
36D: Non-commercial TV ad: PSA (Public Service Announcement). PSA also stands for Professional Sports Authenticator, the world's largest sportscard authentication service. See PSA at the very top?
37D: South American spread owner: RANCHERO. New word to me. A good way to clue ERO then. We seem to see EERO (Architect Saarinen) or EROO (Switch ending) often.
40D: Reuben holder: RYE BREAD
43D: Antiquated: ARCHAIC
45D: Rear end: PRAT. Pratfall. Carol has been using this word a lot in her comments lately.
47D: Roman emperor: CAESAR. "Veni, vidi, vici".
49D: Unfailingly: ALWAYS
50D: Flirts with: TEASES
51D: 1964 Nobel Prize decliner: SARTRE. He was probably jealous and angry that Camus got Nobel earlier (1957).
54D: Spelunker's aid: TORCH. spelunker is a great word.
56D: Hit hard: SWAT. Babe Ruth, Sultan of the SWAT. So tell me, why should Babe RUTH be in the Hall of Fame? He drank a lot during his days when drinking was not allowed. Mark McGwire used steroid when it's legal to do so.
58D: Sighed line: AH ME. Misread the clue as "Signed line".
59D: Warning to the gallery: FORE. Golf. I was once hit hard on my left arm. The guy did not shout "FORE".
61D: Practice: PLY. Wrote down TRY first.
Answer grid.
C.C.
