Theme: Go Back - Go is attached to the end of a familiar two-word phrase/name.
16A. Tropical fruit that grows underground?: CAVE MAN(GO). Caveman. Mango is tropical fruit. Funny entry. Reminds me of two GEICO cavemen in a restaurant commercial. One told the waiter, "I'll have the roast duck and the MANGO salsa". The other caveman said, "I don't have much of an appetite, thank you."
21A. Church game played with cans and bottles?: RECYCLE BIN(GO). Recycle bin. Do dump out the extra liquid in your cans/bottles before you put them in the recycle/recycling bin.
37. Italian cheese from the Florida Keys?: SOUTHEAST ASIA(GO). Southeast Asia. Florida Keys are a chain of small islands off the coast of southeast US. Asiago cheese is named after the Italian town Asiago where it originated.
44A. Fled what was once Zaire?: ESCAPED CON(GO). Escaped con. Congo was called Zaire between 1971 to 1997.
57A. Jargon of ancient Yucatán?: MAYA LIN(GO). Maya Lin. Best known for designing the Vietnam Memorial. I suspect this is the seed entry. Or perhaps CAVE MANGO.
Today's Dan Naddor Index (total non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 15, higher than the previous weeks'. Plus the 5 theme answers, a total of 20 entries with 6 or more letters, Dan's own standard.
Very clever theme. Again, I worked the puzzle from bottom up. Got MAYA LINGO immediately, then ESCAPED CONGO, then I filled in all GO's at the end of each theme entry.
Had to look at the cheat sheet for the middle-right edge of the grid. Huge trouble with RIG, BAAL & T. S. GARP.
Across:
5. Run in a traffic jam?: IDLE. Nice clue.
9. "__ fan tutte": Mozart opera: COSI. Literally "so"/"thus" in Italian. fan = do, tutte = feminine form for "all". Cosi fan tutte = "Thus do all (women)". I just forgot. It appeared in Jerome's puzzle last time.
14. Aquarium clapper: SEAL
15. Be silent, in music: TACET (TAH-ket). No idea. Same root as tacit.
18. Autobahn autos: OPELS. It does not belong to GM any more, does it?
19. Exceeded, as a budget: OVERRAN
20. Ankle-swelling cause: SPRAIN. I am prone to ankle sprain, esp after some drinks.
24. Workout unit: REP (Repetition)
28. Not away: IN TOWN
32. Michigan college town: ANN ARBOR. The University of Michigan.
39. Snobs: ELITISTS
40. Fictional author of "The World According to Bensenhaver": T. S. GARP. The character in John Irving's "The World According to Garp". T. S. stands Technical Sergeant. Stumped me.
41. Spot to get off: STAIN. Get the STAIN off. Had problem understanding the clue properly.
43. Grant opponent: LEE (R.E.)
51. Body shop offering: LOANER
52. SWAT team supply: TEAR GAS. Pittsburgh police just used TEAR GAS during the G20 Summit. Surreal.
56. Jet trail: VAPOR
59. Nanos and minis: IPODS. Both Nano and Mini are iPod models. Mine is Classic, so is Melissa Bee's.
60. Drive the getaway car for, say: ABET
61. Prefix with dollar: EURO. Eurodollar is U.S. dollar deposited in a European bank.
62. Last word sung with champagne in hand: SYNE. "Auld Lang SYNE", sung on New Year's Eve.
63. Presidential power: VETO. Governor has the VETO power too.
64. Future J.D.'s hurdle: LSAT (Law School Admission Test). Should be a gimme for our J.D. now.
Down:
2. Patron saint of Norway: OLAV. Always have to wobble between OLAF and OLAV.
3. Like glowing coals: LIVE. I kind of like fake fireplace. Clean.
4. Hall of Fame second baseman Bobby: DOERR. Got his name from Across fill. Wikipedia says he played his entire season with the Red Sox.
5. Stern with a bow: ISAAC
6. Chain that serves the Grand Slam breakfast: DENNY'S
8. "Strange Magic" band: ELO. What other 3-letter band can you think of?
9. Bay of Naples isle: CAPRI. Capri pants got its name from this isle.
10. Continental divide?: OCEAN. Another great clue.
11. Baseball commissioner since the '90s: SELIG (Bud). He'll stay as commissioner until at least 2012. Boo! Hate him. He used to own the Milwaukee Brewers.
12. "__ big deal": ITS NO
15. Military higher-ups: TOP BRASS
17. G.I. ration: MRE (Meal Ready to Eat)
20. Witnessed visiting: SEEN AT. He was witnessed visiting his ex-girlfriend. He was SEEN AT
his ex-girlfriend' house? I don't know. Can't equate the two grammatically. Maybe you can give me a better example.
22. Enduring opus: CLASSIC
23. Navel buildup: LINT
24. Bailiff's request: RISE. OYEZ is "Bailiff's request" too, correct?
25. Compound containing a hydroxl group: ENOL
26. Spitting sound: PTUI. Man, he's back again.
29. Giant great who wore #4: OTT (Mel). Ah, the #4 giant of the moment belongs to Brett Favre. It's his 40th birthday tomorrow.
30. Library volumes?: WHISPERS. Clever clue.
31. Avian homemaker: NESTER
33. Hook (up): RIG. Why? I wanted TIE.
34. False god: BAAL. The Semitic "False god". Mine was IDOL.
35. Brute: OGRE
36. Weapon in Clue: ROPE. Have yet to play this game.
38. Hardly at all: A TAD
42. "When I'm ready": NOT YET. I've developed a fondness for multiple words now. Like them better than long single words. Clear Ayes used to prefer the latter, maybe she still does.
44. The King: ELVIS. Saw several lovely ELVIS candy tins at the flea market this summer.
46. Food fowl: CAPON. Maybe Jeannie can give us another recipe. I'll try her marinated salmon on Saturday. Have never used orange juice in cooking before.
47. Battery terminal: ANODE
48. "Peachy keen!": NEATO
49. "For Me and My __": GAL. Judy Garland/Gene Kelly musical.
50. Bay window: ORIEL (AWR-ee-uhl). Like this window, jutting out from the wall.
53. Wildebeests: GNUS
54. Indian mausoleum city: AGRA. Taj Mahal.
55. Flue coat: SOOT
57. Dallas cager, briefly: MAV (Mavericks). And with a maverick owner Mark Cuban, who was all gaga over Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead".
58. He's next to Teddy on Mount Rushmore: ABE
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a recent photo of our fellow solver PJB-Chicago at work. Looks like it's taken from a cell phone. This one is the pregnant picture he mentioned on the blog the other day. It's taken 7 years ago at his admin's baby shower. He said both men and women were invited and the invitation said "Dress pregnant" so "I stuffed a couch pillow under my shirt. The lady to my left was another admin, a fireball & a whipsmart bundle of energy. She didn't "dress pregnant" so I'm the chunky one here. Now, my hair is thinner and grayer, & the face more lined. My eyeglasses are not as loud."
C.C.
16A. Tropical fruit that grows underground?: CAVE MAN(GO). Caveman. Mango is tropical fruit. Funny entry. Reminds me of two GEICO cavemen in a restaurant commercial. One told the waiter, "I'll have the roast duck and the MANGO salsa". The other caveman said, "I don't have much of an appetite, thank you."
21A. Church game played with cans and bottles?: RECYCLE BIN(GO). Recycle bin. Do dump out the extra liquid in your cans/bottles before you put them in the recycle/recycling bin.
37. Italian cheese from the Florida Keys?: SOUTHEAST ASIA(GO). Southeast Asia. Florida Keys are a chain of small islands off the coast of southeast US. Asiago cheese is named after the Italian town Asiago where it originated.
44A. Fled what was once Zaire?: ESCAPED CON(GO). Escaped con. Congo was called Zaire between 1971 to 1997.
57A. Jargon of ancient Yucatán?: MAYA LIN(GO). Maya Lin. Best known for designing the Vietnam Memorial. I suspect this is the seed entry. Or perhaps CAVE MANGO.
Today's Dan Naddor Index (total non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 15, higher than the previous weeks'. Plus the 5 theme answers, a total of 20 entries with 6 or more letters, Dan's own standard.
Very clever theme. Again, I worked the puzzle from bottom up. Got MAYA LINGO immediately, then ESCAPED CONGO, then I filled in all GO's at the end of each theme entry.
Had to look at the cheat sheet for the middle-right edge of the grid. Huge trouble with RIG, BAAL & T. S. GARP.
Across:
5. Run in a traffic jam?: IDLE. Nice clue.
9. "__ fan tutte": Mozart opera: COSI. Literally "so"/"thus" in Italian. fan = do, tutte = feminine form for "all". Cosi fan tutte = "Thus do all (women)". I just forgot. It appeared in Jerome's puzzle last time.
14. Aquarium clapper: SEAL
15. Be silent, in music: TACET (TAH-ket). No idea. Same root as tacit.
18. Autobahn autos: OPELS. It does not belong to GM any more, does it?
19. Exceeded, as a budget: OVERRAN
20. Ankle-swelling cause: SPRAIN. I am prone to ankle sprain, esp after some drinks.
24. Workout unit: REP (Repetition)
28. Not away: IN TOWN
32. Michigan college town: ANN ARBOR. The University of Michigan.
39. Snobs: ELITISTS
40. Fictional author of "The World According to Bensenhaver": T. S. GARP. The character in John Irving's "The World According to Garp". T. S. stands Technical Sergeant. Stumped me.
41. Spot to get off: STAIN. Get the STAIN off. Had problem understanding the clue properly.
43. Grant opponent: LEE (R.E.)
51. Body shop offering: LOANER
52. SWAT team supply: TEAR GAS. Pittsburgh police just used TEAR GAS during the G20 Summit. Surreal.
56. Jet trail: VAPOR
59. Nanos and minis: IPODS. Both Nano and Mini are iPod models. Mine is Classic, so is Melissa Bee's.
60. Drive the getaway car for, say: ABET
61. Prefix with dollar: EURO. Eurodollar is U.S. dollar deposited in a European bank.
62. Last word sung with champagne in hand: SYNE. "Auld Lang SYNE", sung on New Year's Eve.
63. Presidential power: VETO. Governor has the VETO power too.
64. Future J.D.'s hurdle: LSAT (Law School Admission Test). Should be a gimme for our J.D. now.
Down:
2. Patron saint of Norway: OLAV. Always have to wobble between OLAF and OLAV.
3. Like glowing coals: LIVE. I kind of like fake fireplace. Clean.
4. Hall of Fame second baseman Bobby: DOERR. Got his name from Across fill. Wikipedia says he played his entire season with the Red Sox.
5. Stern with a bow: ISAAC
6. Chain that serves the Grand Slam breakfast: DENNY'S
8. "Strange Magic" band: ELO. What other 3-letter band can you think of?
9. Bay of Naples isle: CAPRI. Capri pants got its name from this isle.
10. Continental divide?: OCEAN. Another great clue.
11. Baseball commissioner since the '90s: SELIG (Bud). He'll stay as commissioner until at least 2012. Boo! Hate him. He used to own the Milwaukee Brewers.
12. "__ big deal": ITS NO
15. Military higher-ups: TOP BRASS
17. G.I. ration: MRE (Meal Ready to Eat)
20. Witnessed visiting: SEEN AT. He was witnessed visiting his ex-girlfriend. He was SEEN AT
his ex-girlfriend' house? I don't know. Can't equate the two grammatically. Maybe you can give me a better example.
22. Enduring opus: CLASSIC
23. Navel buildup: LINT
24. Bailiff's request: RISE. OYEZ is "Bailiff's request" too, correct?
25. Compound containing a hydroxl group: ENOL
26. Spitting sound: PTUI. Man, he's back again.
29. Giant great who wore #4: OTT (Mel). Ah, the #4 giant of the moment belongs to Brett Favre. It's his 40th birthday tomorrow.
30. Library volumes?: WHISPERS. Clever clue.
31. Avian homemaker: NESTER
33. Hook (up): RIG. Why? I wanted TIE.
34. False god: BAAL. The Semitic "False god". Mine was IDOL.
35. Brute: OGRE
36. Weapon in Clue: ROPE. Have yet to play this game.
38. Hardly at all: A TAD
42. "When I'm ready": NOT YET. I've developed a fondness for multiple words now. Like them better than long single words. Clear Ayes used to prefer the latter, maybe she still does.
44. The King: ELVIS. Saw several lovely ELVIS candy tins at the flea market this summer.
46. Food fowl: CAPON. Maybe Jeannie can give us another recipe. I'll try her marinated salmon on Saturday. Have never used orange juice in cooking before.
47. Battery terminal: ANODE
48. "Peachy keen!": NEATO
49. "For Me and My __": GAL. Judy Garland/Gene Kelly musical.
50. Bay window: ORIEL (AWR-ee-uhl). Like this window, jutting out from the wall.
53. Wildebeests: GNUS
54. Indian mausoleum city: AGRA. Taj Mahal.
55. Flue coat: SOOT
57. Dallas cager, briefly: MAV (Mavericks). And with a maverick owner Mark Cuban, who was all gaga over Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead".
58. He's next to Teddy on Mount Rushmore: ABE
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a recent photo of our fellow solver PJB-Chicago at work. Looks like it's taken from a cell phone. This one is the pregnant picture he mentioned on the blog the other day. It's taken 7 years ago at his admin's baby shower. He said both men and women were invited and the invitation said "Dress pregnant" so "I stuffed a couch pillow under my shirt. The lady to my left was another admin, a fireball & a whipsmart bundle of energy. She didn't "dress pregnant" so I'm the chunky one here. Now, my hair is thinner and grayer, & the face more lined. My eyeglasses are not as loud."
C.C.
