Theme: None
Total blocks: 32
Total words: 72
All those triple stacks of 10-letter fills in upper right corner and lower left corner consist of two words. Fantastic! I love SWING STATE (5A: Purple region, on some maps) and TROOP SURGE (59A: Bush announcement of 2007) the most.
Then you add UN-PC (15A: Like many -ess words nowadays) and NEO (33D: Conservative leader? - Neoconservative), voila, a great Saturday puzzle for a news junkie. Somehow I thought the SURGE decision was made immediately after the 2006 election though, after Rumsfeld was fired.
Very enjoyable puzzle, full of lively fills. The grid is not that intimidating and most of the multiple-word answers are workable. I still had my normal struggle. But "rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" I think I am.
Across:
1A: __d'Orsay: Seine site: QUAI. Left bank of the Seine. Very close to my beloved Musée d'Orsay. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located here. QUAI is just French for quay (wharf).
16A: It's measured in hits: WEB TRAFFIC. Yep, our blog traffic is measured by hits.
17A: 2002 Eddie Murphy/Owen Wilson film: I SPY. Not a familiar movie to me. Somehow I've never liked Owen Wilson. Clive Owen, yes, definitely.
18A: Play honors: OBIE AWARDS. Or Tony Awards.
19A: End of a series: ZEE. Last letter of English alphabet.
20A: Like galas: DRESSY
21A: Café addition: LAIT. French for "milk". Café au LAIT.
22A: More dry and crumbly: MEALIER. Wanted FLAKIER.
24A: It's taken in spots: TEA. Dictionary explains "spot" as "a drink", chiefly British, informal. then it gives an example: a spot of TEA. New to me.
26A: Like Beethoven's Seventh: IN A. No idea. But I knew the clue is asking for a IN? answer.
27A: Physicist Fermi: ENRICO. Nobel Physics winner, 1938. Learned his name from doing Xword. ENRICO is Italian for "Ruler of the Household".
28A: Largest of Dodecanese: RHODES. Oh, this is where the Colossus of RHODES is located then. So close to Turkey. I was stumped. Have never heard of Dodecanese, literally ""twelve islands" in Greek.
30A: Didn't delete: LEFT IN. My initial answer was KEPT IN.
34A: Minx: HUSSY. New word to me.
37A: Aspect: FACET
39A: How - __: TOS
40A: "Some Like it Hot, " for one: FARCE. Oh, I mixed "Some Like it Hot" with "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".
42A: Like Beethoven's Ninth: CHORAL. I am a classic music idiot. So, no idea. Wikipedia says The Symphony No. 9 (CHORAL) is Beethoven's last symphony.
44A: Seat of Texas's Ector County: ODESSA. Al's 9:31am post yesterday was in play here. Simple guess. Ector County means nothing to me.
46A: Native Midwesterners: OSAGES. Oh, Native Indians.
50A: Island party music source: UKE. Hawaii.
51A: Challah need: EGG. I've never had challah, does it taste like brioche?
53A: Extinguished: BLEW OUT
54A: Dairy prefix: LACT. Latin "milk". As in lactose. Lactose intolerance. I like seeing LAIT and LACT in one grid.
56A: Ring of color: AREOLA. AREa+ OLA. Just like this.
58A: Airport near Forest Hills, N.Y.: LGA (La Guardia Airport). Another guess. JFK did not even come to my mind.
61A: Anglo __ War (1899-1902): BOER. BOERS is derived from Dutch "boor" (peasant).
62A: In-line pickup?: IMPULSE BUY. I don't know the meaning of "In-line". Stand in-line at the check-out?
63A: Francis of Hollywood: ANNE. Unknow to me. Wikipedia says ANNE Francis is perhaps best known for her role as Altaira in the significant Sci-Fi classic "Forbidden Planet".
64A: It'll cost you to go in them: PAY TOILETS. Stymied, though I've used them. Toilets should always be free.
65A: Like most whiskey: AGED. My first thought is OAKY.
Down:
1D: College study group request: QUIZ ME. No idea. Have never attended a school here.
2D: Like radio waves: UNSEEN. And APPEAR (3D: Cease being 2-Down). Nice intersection with I SPY.
4D: Distant: ICY
5D: Quit for good: SWORE OFF
6D: "Der Freischütz" composer: WEBER. Stranger to me. Wikipedia says his full name is Carl Maria von WEBER, and his mastery of the orchestra was equalled in his time only by Beethovena nd Schubert. "Der Freischütz" is usually translated as "The Marksman" or "The Freeshooter".
7D: Head of the Egyptian god Thoth: IBIS. Gimme. IBIS is considered sacred bird for those ancient Egyptians. THOTH is Egypitan god of wisdom. See the IBIS on his head?
8D: Subject of the 2005 opera "Doctor Atomic": N-TEST
9D: Aging, maybe: GRAYER. I am aging. I am GRAYER. OK.
10D: Dated: SAW. A-Rod is dating Kate Hudson. A-Road and Kate Hudson are seeing each other.
11D: Nonstick cookware brand: T-FAL. The brand I use. Short for Teflon & aluminium.
12D: "Yes, sorry to say": AFRAID SO
13D: Desirable trait in a roommate: TIDINESS
14D: No mere joy: ECSTASY
20D: They're rolled on tables: DICE. Nailed it immediately.
23D: Spring bloomers: LILACS
25D: Rubbing reaction: AHH
29D: Western staple: OUTLAW. Wanted OATER.
31D: Toe preceder?: TAC. Tic-TAC-Toe. Got me.
32D: Ego, to Freud: ICH. German for "I", as in JFK's "ICH bin ein Berliner". I wanted IDS. Neat to have ICH right in the heart of the grid.
35D: No-goodnik's accumulation: BAD KARMA. Mine was MAD KARMA, as I filled in MFA rather than BFA ( (Bachelor of Fine Arts) for 35A: Deg. for theater types: BFA.
36D: Infomercial come-on: FREE COPY
38D: Chicago Surface Lines transports: TROLLEYS. Wikipedia says the Chicago Surface Lines was operator of the street railway system of Chicago from 1913 to 1947. Unknown to me.
40D: Barely struck strike: FOUL TIP. I love the clue. FOUL TIP is always counted as a strike.
41D: Computer ending: ESE. Computerese. I was thinking of EXE, the computer file name extension.
43D: Sailing: ASEA
45D: Winner of eight Grand Slam tournaments: AGASSI
47D: Passing order? GO LONG. Stumped. American football term?
48D: Home of the Oregon Ducks: EUGENE. University of Oregon home.
49D: Was wide-eyed: STARED
52D: Bland breakfast: GRUEL. Sometimes my breakfast is just millet/rice GRUEL. I like sprinkle dried fruits and toasted nuts in them.
53D: Australian cager Andrew who was selected first overall in the 2005 NBA draft: BOGUT. No idea. Andrew BOGUT was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and he is still playing for them.
55D: Ballyhoo: TOUT
57D: Kathryn of "Law & Order: C.I.": ERBE. German name, meaning "inheritance". It rhymes with "Herbie". Don't confuse her name with the German river ELBE.
60D: Gaza Strip gp.: PLO. Hamas controls West Bank. (Note: I was wrong. Hamas controls Gaza Strip.)
61D: Shropshire sound: BAA. Did not know Shropshire is a breed of English sheep. Hey, ewe!
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: The always graceful and gracious beauty Clear Ayes & her Golf-Addicted-Husband (G-A-H in her daily comments). She said "Obviously my husband likes to be Santa Claus for the kids. I hope Argyle doesn't get jealous!"
C.C.
Total blocks: 32
Total words: 72
All those triple stacks of 10-letter fills in upper right corner and lower left corner consist of two words. Fantastic! I love SWING STATE (5A: Purple region, on some maps) and TROOP SURGE (59A: Bush announcement of 2007) the most.
Then you add UN-PC (15A: Like many -ess words nowadays) and NEO (33D: Conservative leader? - Neoconservative), voila, a great Saturday puzzle for a news junkie. Somehow I thought the SURGE decision was made immediately after the 2006 election though, after Rumsfeld was fired.
Very enjoyable puzzle, full of lively fills. The grid is not that intimidating and most of the multiple-word answers are workable. I still had my normal struggle. But "rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" I think I am.
Across:
1A: __d'Orsay: Seine site: QUAI. Left bank of the Seine. Very close to my beloved Musée d'Orsay. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located here. QUAI is just French for quay (wharf).
16A: It's measured in hits: WEB TRAFFIC. Yep, our blog traffic is measured by hits.
17A: 2002 Eddie Murphy/Owen Wilson film: I SPY. Not a familiar movie to me. Somehow I've never liked Owen Wilson. Clive Owen, yes, definitely.
18A: Play honors: OBIE AWARDS. Or Tony Awards.
19A: End of a series: ZEE. Last letter of English alphabet.
20A: Like galas: DRESSY
21A: Café addition: LAIT. French for "milk". Café au LAIT.
22A: More dry and crumbly: MEALIER. Wanted FLAKIER.
24A: It's taken in spots: TEA. Dictionary explains "spot" as "a drink", chiefly British, informal. then it gives an example: a spot of TEA. New to me.
26A: Like Beethoven's Seventh: IN A. No idea. But I knew the clue is asking for a IN? answer.
27A: Physicist Fermi: ENRICO. Nobel Physics winner, 1938. Learned his name from doing Xword. ENRICO is Italian for "Ruler of the Household".
28A: Largest of Dodecanese: RHODES. Oh, this is where the Colossus of RHODES is located then. So close to Turkey. I was stumped. Have never heard of Dodecanese, literally ""twelve islands" in Greek.
30A: Didn't delete: LEFT IN. My initial answer was KEPT IN.
34A: Minx: HUSSY. New word to me.
37A: Aspect: FACET
39A: How - __: TOS
40A: "Some Like it Hot, " for one: FARCE. Oh, I mixed "Some Like it Hot" with "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".
42A: Like Beethoven's Ninth: CHORAL. I am a classic music idiot. So, no idea. Wikipedia says The Symphony No. 9 (CHORAL) is Beethoven's last symphony.
44A: Seat of Texas's Ector County: ODESSA. Al's 9:31am post yesterday was in play here. Simple guess. Ector County means nothing to me.
46A: Native Midwesterners: OSAGES. Oh, Native Indians.
50A: Island party music source: UKE. Hawaii.
51A: Challah need: EGG. I've never had challah, does it taste like brioche?
53A: Extinguished: BLEW OUT
54A: Dairy prefix: LACT. Latin "milk". As in lactose. Lactose intolerance. I like seeing LAIT and LACT in one grid.
56A: Ring of color: AREOLA. AREa+ OLA. Just like this.
58A: Airport near Forest Hills, N.Y.: LGA (La Guardia Airport). Another guess. JFK did not even come to my mind.
61A: Anglo __ War (1899-1902): BOER. BOERS is derived from Dutch "boor" (peasant).
62A: In-line pickup?: IMPULSE BUY. I don't know the meaning of "In-line". Stand in-line at the check-out?
63A: Francis of Hollywood: ANNE. Unknow to me. Wikipedia says ANNE Francis is perhaps best known for her role as Altaira in the significant Sci-Fi classic "Forbidden Planet".
64A: It'll cost you to go in them: PAY TOILETS. Stymied, though I've used them. Toilets should always be free.
65A: Like most whiskey: AGED. My first thought is OAKY.
Down:
1D: College study group request: QUIZ ME. No idea. Have never attended a school here.
2D: Like radio waves: UNSEEN. And APPEAR (3D: Cease being 2-Down). Nice intersection with I SPY.
4D: Distant: ICY
5D: Quit for good: SWORE OFF
6D: "Der Freischütz" composer: WEBER. Stranger to me. Wikipedia says his full name is Carl Maria von WEBER, and his mastery of the orchestra was equalled in his time only by Beethovena nd Schubert. "Der Freischütz" is usually translated as "The Marksman" or "The Freeshooter".
7D: Head of the Egyptian god Thoth: IBIS. Gimme. IBIS is considered sacred bird for those ancient Egyptians. THOTH is Egypitan god of wisdom. See the IBIS on his head?
8D: Subject of the 2005 opera "Doctor Atomic": N-TEST
9D: Aging, maybe: GRAYER. I am aging. I am GRAYER. OK.
10D: Dated: SAW. A-Rod is dating Kate Hudson. A-Road and Kate Hudson are seeing each other.
11D: Nonstick cookware brand: T-FAL. The brand I use. Short for Teflon & aluminium.
12D: "Yes, sorry to say": AFRAID SO
13D: Desirable trait in a roommate: TIDINESS
14D: No mere joy: ECSTASY
20D: They're rolled on tables: DICE. Nailed it immediately.
23D: Spring bloomers: LILACS
25D: Rubbing reaction: AHH
29D: Western staple: OUTLAW. Wanted OATER.
31D: Toe preceder?: TAC. Tic-TAC-Toe. Got me.
32D: Ego, to Freud: ICH. German for "I", as in JFK's "ICH bin ein Berliner". I wanted IDS. Neat to have ICH right in the heart of the grid.
35D: No-goodnik's accumulation: BAD KARMA. Mine was MAD KARMA, as I filled in MFA rather than BFA ( (Bachelor of Fine Arts) for 35A: Deg. for theater types: BFA.
36D: Infomercial come-on: FREE COPY
38D: Chicago Surface Lines transports: TROLLEYS. Wikipedia says the Chicago Surface Lines was operator of the street railway system of Chicago from 1913 to 1947. Unknown to me.
40D: Barely struck strike: FOUL TIP. I love the clue. FOUL TIP is always counted as a strike.
41D: Computer ending: ESE. Computerese. I was thinking of EXE, the computer file name extension.
43D: Sailing: ASEA
45D: Winner of eight Grand Slam tournaments: AGASSI
47D: Passing order? GO LONG. Stumped. American football term?
48D: Home of the Oregon Ducks: EUGENE. University of Oregon home.
49D: Was wide-eyed: STARED
52D: Bland breakfast: GRUEL. Sometimes my breakfast is just millet/rice GRUEL. I like sprinkle dried fruits and toasted nuts in them.
53D: Australian cager Andrew who was selected first overall in the 2005 NBA draft: BOGUT. No idea. Andrew BOGUT was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and he is still playing for them.
55D: Ballyhoo: TOUT
57D: Kathryn of "Law & Order: C.I.": ERBE. German name, meaning "inheritance". It rhymes with "Herbie". Don't confuse her name with the German river ELBE.
60D: Gaza Strip gp.: PLO. Hamas controls West Bank. (Note: I was wrong. Hamas controls Gaza Strip.)
61D: Shropshire sound: BAA. Did not know Shropshire is a breed of English sheep. Hey, ewe!
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: The always graceful and gracious beauty Clear Ayes & her Golf-Addicted-Husband (G-A-H in her daily comments). She said "Obviously my husband likes to be Santa Claus for the kids. I hope Argyle doesn't get jealous!"
C.C.
