Theme: MIDDLE EARTH (53A: "The Lord of the Rings" region, and a hint to the shared feature of 17-, 28- and 44-Across and 26-Down) - The word EARTH is embedded in each theme entry.
17A: Dispel hostile feelings: CLEAR THE AIR
29A: "Maude" actress: BEATRICE ARTHUR
44A: "Please tell me you're not serious": I DIDN'T HEAR THAT
26D: Scarcities: DEARTHS
Wouldn't it be nice if all the EARTH's were placed in the very middle of each theme answer?
The EARTH in DEARTHS is the only theme entry that is not split between two words. And it's placed in the very middle of the grid and crosses two theme answers.
Once again I jumped around. Got the tie-in answer MIDDLE EARTH first. Then I realized the gimmick immediately, as Pete Muller's INNER EAR grid left a very deep impression on me. Pete split all the EARS between two words. I then climbed upward and filled in all the EARTH immediately. (Updated later: We had a MIDDLE EARTH themed puzzle from Barry Silk on Nov 26, 2008, even the first entry CLEAR THE AIR is the same.)
I will use this strategy for tomorrow's puzzle also. I expect it's a wordplay grid by Dan Naddor and I expect the unifying answer to be placed at the lower right corner.
Granted, the puzzle is designed to be solved from upper left to lower right. Many constructors (like Merl Reagle) tend to place the most sparkliest theme answer or the tie-in theme answer at the end to provide solvers a precious"Aha" moment. But very seldom does the upper left corner crumble easily for me. I have to flit around. I guess I will just do whatever works for me.
There is also a drink sub-theme to make Lois/Argyle happy:
31A: Drink that can follow a shot: CHASER
61A: Item on a cocktail toothpick: OLIVE
24D: Scotch order: NEAT
51D: Malty mugfuls: ALES
All in all, not a difficult Thursday for me. I guessed a lot, and I was right on my guesses.
Across:
1A: Simian: APISH. Silly, I always thought simian is a noun.
11A: Queasy, perhaps: ILL
14A: Where the 4077th MASH served: KOREA. Where are the asterisks? I am used to "M*A*S*H.
15A: Mammy's boy: ABNER. From from comic strip Li'L ABNER. Mammy Yokum.
19A: Bay Area airport: SFO. I had SF? sitting there forever. Didn't know San Francisco International Airport's code.
21A: Sound quality?: SANITY. Got me. Nice clue.
26A: RFK Stadium soccer team: D.C. UNITED. Know this name only because of the Freddy Adu hype. Our local soccer team is called Minnesota Thunder.
30A: Ancient spell caster: MAGE. Short for magician. New word to me.
32A: Oldest of the Fab Four: STARR. Noticed the plural form on the intersecting 23D, so filled in STARR in no time.
34A: Creative pursuit: ART. Nice ART & ART crossing in the center.
35A: Streisand cross-dressing role: YENTL. Yenta is rooted in YENTL.
40A: "Born in __": Cheech Marin film: EAST LA. Another guess. Not familiar with the film. Last time it's clued as ""Chico and the Man" setting, briefly".
48A: Mentored ones: PROTEGES. My first reaction: MENTEES?
49A: Words of resignation: NO HOPE
50A: It may be wireless: ROUTER
59A: Nuevo __: Peru's currency: SOL. Obtained the answer from Across.
60A: Causing chill: EERIE
62A: Trough site: STY. Had a friend working for Kraft Foods for many years. He told me pork is the best meat nutrition-wise.
63A: Raid targets: DRUGS. Couldn't keep "bugs" out of my mind.
64A: Play in the tub: SLOSH
Down:
1D: "Best in Show" org.: AKC (American Kennel Club)
4D: Aquarium frolicker: SEA OTTER. . Just learned that a male otter is a dog, a female is a bitch and a baby is a whelp/pup.
5D: More puzzling: HARDER
6D: Portrayer of an Oz feline: LAHR. Bert LAHR, Cowardly Lion.
8D: Microscopic crime scene clue, briefly: DNA
9D: Retiree's abundance: LEISURE. Agree?
10D: Knightly news?: ERRANTRY. New word to me. Nice play on Nightly News.
11D: Where it originally was: IN SITU. Latin.
12D: Crane, at times: LIFTER. I was picturing an Origami crane.
13D: Bentsen who said to Quayle, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy": LLOYD. Because Dan Quayle had constantly been comparing himself to Kennedy. I was aware of the quote. Did not know who said it though.
22D: Fed, research agency: NIH (National Institutes of Health). Can never remember this name.
23D: Selectric typewriters, e.g.: IBMS
27D: Chess move you can make once: CASTLE. Another guess.
29D: Pure: CHASTE. Crossing CHASER.
33D: Cashed in: REDEEMED
36D: Hold spellbound: ENTHRALL
37D: Big Apple neighborhood near the Bowery: NOHO. Short for North of Houston Street. SOHO is South of Houston Street.
41D: More likely to explode: ANGRIER
42D: "Dog the Bounty Hunter" airer: A AND E. It jumped into me immediately after I had ND filled. I am really good at guessing now.
44D: 1950 classic sci-fi short story book: I ROBOT. By Isaac Asimov.
45D: To twice the degree: DOUBLY. Had trouble understanding the grammar of the clue.
46D: Cousin from an "altogether ooky" family: ITT. From "The Addams Family"
47D: Events with some very short rides: RODEOS
48D: Publicity: PRESS
54D: "In My Bed" R&B group __ Hill: DRU. Have never heard of this band.
55D: Archeologist's subject: DIG
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a happy photo from our fellow solver Lemonade. From left to right: his son, Lemonade, his other son & his nephew.
C.C.
17A: Dispel hostile feelings: CLEAR THE AIR
29A: "Maude" actress: BEATRICE ARTHUR
44A: "Please tell me you're not serious": I DIDN'T HEAR THAT
26D: Scarcities: DEARTHS
Wouldn't it be nice if all the EARTH's were placed in the very middle of each theme answer?
The EARTH in DEARTHS is the only theme entry that is not split between two words. And it's placed in the very middle of the grid and crosses two theme answers.
Once again I jumped around. Got the tie-in answer MIDDLE EARTH first. Then I realized the gimmick immediately, as Pete Muller's INNER EAR grid left a very deep impression on me. Pete split all the EARS between two words. I then climbed upward and filled in all the EARTH immediately. (Updated later: We had a MIDDLE EARTH themed puzzle from Barry Silk on Nov 26, 2008, even the first entry CLEAR THE AIR is the same.)
I will use this strategy for tomorrow's puzzle also. I expect it's a wordplay grid by Dan Naddor and I expect the unifying answer to be placed at the lower right corner.
Granted, the puzzle is designed to be solved from upper left to lower right. Many constructors (like Merl Reagle) tend to place the most sparkliest theme answer or the tie-in theme answer at the end to provide solvers a precious"Aha" moment. But very seldom does the upper left corner crumble easily for me. I have to flit around. I guess I will just do whatever works for me.
There is also a drink sub-theme to make Lois/Argyle happy:
31A: Drink that can follow a shot: CHASER
61A: Item on a cocktail toothpick: OLIVE
24D: Scotch order: NEAT
51D: Malty mugfuls: ALES
All in all, not a difficult Thursday for me. I guessed a lot, and I was right on my guesses.
Across:
1A: Simian: APISH. Silly, I always thought simian is a noun.
11A: Queasy, perhaps: ILL
14A: Where the 4077th MASH served: KOREA. Where are the asterisks? I am used to "M*A*S*H.
15A: Mammy's boy: ABNER. From from comic strip Li'L ABNER. Mammy Yokum.
19A: Bay Area airport: SFO. I had SF? sitting there forever. Didn't know San Francisco International Airport's code.
21A: Sound quality?: SANITY. Got me. Nice clue.
26A: RFK Stadium soccer team: D.C. UNITED. Know this name only because of the Freddy Adu hype. Our local soccer team is called Minnesota Thunder.
30A: Ancient spell caster: MAGE. Short for magician. New word to me.
32A: Oldest of the Fab Four: STARR. Noticed the plural form on the intersecting 23D, so filled in STARR in no time.
34A: Creative pursuit: ART. Nice ART & ART crossing in the center.
35A: Streisand cross-dressing role: YENTL. Yenta is rooted in YENTL.
40A: "Born in __": Cheech Marin film: EAST LA. Another guess. Not familiar with the film. Last time it's clued as ""Chico and the Man" setting, briefly".
48A: Mentored ones: PROTEGES. My first reaction: MENTEES?
49A: Words of resignation: NO HOPE
50A: It may be wireless: ROUTER
59A: Nuevo __: Peru's currency: SOL. Obtained the answer from Across.
60A: Causing chill: EERIE
62A: Trough site: STY. Had a friend working for Kraft Foods for many years. He told me pork is the best meat nutrition-wise.
63A: Raid targets: DRUGS. Couldn't keep "bugs" out of my mind.
64A: Play in the tub: SLOSH
Down:
1D: "Best in Show" org.: AKC (American Kennel Club)
4D: Aquarium frolicker: SEA OTTER. . Just learned that a male otter is a dog, a female is a bitch and a baby is a whelp/pup.
5D: More puzzling: HARDER
6D: Portrayer of an Oz feline: LAHR. Bert LAHR, Cowardly Lion.
8D: Microscopic crime scene clue, briefly: DNA
9D: Retiree's abundance: LEISURE. Agree?
10D: Knightly news?: ERRANTRY. New word to me. Nice play on Nightly News.
11D: Where it originally was: IN SITU. Latin.
12D: Crane, at times: LIFTER. I was picturing an Origami crane.
13D: Bentsen who said to Quayle, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy": LLOYD. Because Dan Quayle had constantly been comparing himself to Kennedy. I was aware of the quote. Did not know who said it though.
22D: Fed, research agency: NIH (National Institutes of Health). Can never remember this name.
23D: Selectric typewriters, e.g.: IBMS
27D: Chess move you can make once: CASTLE. Another guess.
29D: Pure: CHASTE. Crossing CHASER.
33D: Cashed in: REDEEMED
36D: Hold spellbound: ENTHRALL
37D: Big Apple neighborhood near the Bowery: NOHO. Short for North of Houston Street. SOHO is South of Houston Street.
41D: More likely to explode: ANGRIER
42D: "Dog the Bounty Hunter" airer: A AND E. It jumped into me immediately after I had ND filled. I am really good at guessing now.
44D: 1950 classic sci-fi short story book: I ROBOT. By Isaac Asimov.
45D: To twice the degree: DOUBLY. Had trouble understanding the grammar of the clue.
46D: Cousin from an "altogether ooky" family: ITT. From "The Addams Family"
47D: Events with some very short rides: RODEOS
48D: Publicity: PRESS
54D: "In My Bed" R&B group __ Hill: DRU. Have never heard of this band.
55D: Archeologist's subject: DIG
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a happy photo from our fellow solver Lemonade. From left to right: his son, Lemonade, his other son & his nephew.
C.C.
