Theme: All Keyed Up - the last word of each theme answer is a computer key.
17A: "Keep out" sign: DO NOT ENTER
24A: Pay for everyone's dinner: PICK UP THE TAB
40A: "All exits are blocked" situation: NO MEANS OF ESCAPE
50A: Throng management: CROWD CONTROL
62A: Four-on-the-floor, e.g.: STICK SHIFT
65D: Computer feature that ends each of the five longest across answers: KEY
Argyle here.
It hasn't taken our editor long to ramp things up it seems. Certainly harder than past Mondays, what with a Ceasar assassin and Jungian principle. And a new (to us) constructor, too boot. A nice mix of letter count although a little heavy on the use of "S". OTOH, very limited use of "RE-" and "-ED"s.
There are some entries that a casual solver might find hard but have become "gimmes" to the rest of us, ODER for one. How to account for these words when judging the relative difficulty of a puzzle, I don't know.
Across:
1A: "Overhead" engine parts: CAMS.
10A: __ the lily: ornament to excess: GILD. "GILD the lily", to add unnecessary ornamentation, a special feature, etc., in an attempt to improve something that is already complete, satisfactory, or ideal. By itself, GILD is to add gold leaf to an object.
14A: Doing the job: ON IT. Force of habit; I put AT IT first.
15A: Between, quaintly: TWIXT. Tastier without the last "T". And OPE (33A: Not shut, in verse). And ANON (2D: Soon, to a bard). All poetic fill.
16A: There oughta be one, so it's said: A LAW.
19A: Turn on a pivot: SLUE.
20A: Jungian feminine principle: ANIMA. Animus for the musculian principle. I am hoping someone can explain why the inner man is feminine.
21A: Coll. major for a future concert artist: MUS. Clunky.
32A: Peter, Paul or Mary: SAINT. All those three are saints. Nice play on the folk group "Peter, Paul and Mary". Then we also have the abbreviated STE (5D: Sault __ Marie).
34A: German river: ODER. May not known to all. Should be known to anyone doing crosswords on a regular basis. Polish/German border river.
45A: WWII submachine gun: STEN. British 9 mm submachine gun. The US used the B.A.R.(Browning Automatic Rifle) The M1918 was chambered for the .30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge and was designed by John Browning
54A: Witchy woman: HAG.
60A: Norse war god: ODIN. The Norse chief god. Tyr is "Norse war god" too.
67A: Division of society: CASTE. In Indian, esp.
69A: __ helmet: safari wear: PITH.
70A: Ease, as fears: ALLAY. I confess, I had RELAX and BELAY before ALLAY.
71A: Home on a limb: NEST. Cute.
Down:
1D: Musical finale: CODA.
4D: Defeat decisively: STOMP. Wow, a rather strong word I don't remember seeing used before in a puzzle.
7D: On, as a lamp: LIT.
8D: Like churches, vis-à-vis most taxes: EXEMPT. Wonder why the sudden use of vis-à-vis and a little shaky on that use.
9D: Rooster's gait: STRUT. I've seen some that were most comical.
10D: Tank filler: GAS. Simple but I like it.
11D: Unable to read: ILLITERATE.
12D: First lady before Michelle: LAURA.
13D: Dork: DWEEB.
22D: Small stores: SHOPS.
25D: Traveling show worker: CARNY.
26D: Sedona and Sorento: KIAS. A pair of SUVs from the Korean manufacturer. Sedona is an echo from Saturday. KIA is an abbreviation too. KI = "Rising" in Korean. A = Asia.
27D: Not made of interlaced parts, as fabric: UNWOVEN. This feels awkward.
30D: "American __": IDOL. Is anything happening with IDOL right now?
31D: Precious stone expert: GEMOLOGIST. This and 11D were a couple of nice, legitimate ten-letter fills.
35D: Stitch over: RESEW.
37D: Man of La Mancha: SENOR. Another great wordplay on Cervantes's "Don Quixote - Man of La Mancha".
38D: Acted like: APED. Are you happy with this clue/answer; it seems it wasn't liked very much the last time we had it.
39D: Contact or zoom: LENS.
41D: "All kidding __ ...": ASIDE.
42D: No-food protest: FAST.
47D: Snazzy entrance: PORTAL.
50D: Bite vigorously: CHOMP. STOMP and CHOMP, a strong echo here.
51D: Pie slice edges, geometrically: RADII. Plural of radius.
52D: One of Caesar's assassins: CASCA. Publius Servilius Casca was the first to strike Caesar with a dagger. Only remembered this after looking up the answer. Brutus is another assassin.
53D: Actress Lindsay: LOHAN. Showing off her talents.
57D: Longest river: NILE.
58D: Roswell sightings, briefly: UFOS. Roswell, NM is the the site of Area 51 (which doesn't exist either...or does it?)
59D: Printer's "let it stand": STET.
61D: To the __ degree: NTH. Echo of yesterday!
63D: One of many in the Aegean Sea: Abbr.: ISL. Abbr. of island or isle.
64D: Windy City transportation org.: CTA. Chicago Transit Authority or the band.
Answer grid.
Argyle
17A: "Keep out" sign: DO NOT ENTER
24A: Pay for everyone's dinner: PICK UP THE TAB
40A: "All exits are blocked" situation: NO MEANS OF ESCAPE
50A: Throng management: CROWD CONTROL
62A: Four-on-the-floor, e.g.: STICK SHIFT
65D: Computer feature that ends each of the five longest across answers: KEY
Argyle here.
It hasn't taken our editor long to ramp things up it seems. Certainly harder than past Mondays, what with a Ceasar assassin and Jungian principle. And a new (to us) constructor, too boot. A nice mix of letter count although a little heavy on the use of "S". OTOH, very limited use of "RE-" and "-ED"s.
There are some entries that a casual solver might find hard but have become "gimmes" to the rest of us, ODER for one. How to account for these words when judging the relative difficulty of a puzzle, I don't know.
Across:
1A: "Overhead" engine parts: CAMS.
10A: __ the lily: ornament to excess: GILD. "GILD the lily", to add unnecessary ornamentation, a special feature, etc., in an attempt to improve something that is already complete, satisfactory, or ideal. By itself, GILD is to add gold leaf to an object.
14A: Doing the job: ON IT. Force of habit; I put AT IT first.
15A: Between, quaintly: TWIXT. Tastier without the last "T". And OPE (33A: Not shut, in verse). And ANON (2D: Soon, to a bard). All poetic fill.
16A: There oughta be one, so it's said: A LAW.
19A: Turn on a pivot: SLUE.
20A: Jungian feminine principle: ANIMA. Animus for the musculian principle. I am hoping someone can explain why the inner man is feminine.
21A: Coll. major for a future concert artist: MUS. Clunky.
32A: Peter, Paul or Mary: SAINT. All those three are saints. Nice play on the folk group "Peter, Paul and Mary". Then we also have the abbreviated STE (5D: Sault __ Marie).
34A: German river: ODER. May not known to all. Should be known to anyone doing crosswords on a regular basis. Polish/German border river.
45A: WWII submachine gun: STEN. British 9 mm submachine gun. The US used the B.A.R.(Browning Automatic Rifle) The M1918 was chambered for the .30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge and was designed by John Browning
54A: Witchy woman: HAG.
60A: Norse war god: ODIN. The Norse chief god. Tyr is "Norse war god" too.
67A: Division of society: CASTE. In Indian, esp.
69A: __ helmet: safari wear: PITH.
70A: Ease, as fears: ALLAY. I confess, I had RELAX and BELAY before ALLAY.
71A: Home on a limb: NEST. Cute.
Down:
1D: Musical finale: CODA.
4D: Defeat decisively: STOMP. Wow, a rather strong word I don't remember seeing used before in a puzzle.
7D: On, as a lamp: LIT.
8D: Like churches, vis-à-vis most taxes: EXEMPT. Wonder why the sudden use of vis-à-vis and a little shaky on that use.
9D: Rooster's gait: STRUT. I've seen some that were most comical.
10D: Tank filler: GAS. Simple but I like it.
11D: Unable to read: ILLITERATE.
12D: First lady before Michelle: LAURA.
13D: Dork: DWEEB.
22D: Small stores: SHOPS.
25D: Traveling show worker: CARNY.
26D: Sedona and Sorento: KIAS. A pair of SUVs from the Korean manufacturer. Sedona is an echo from Saturday. KIA is an abbreviation too. KI = "Rising" in Korean. A = Asia.
27D: Not made of interlaced parts, as fabric: UNWOVEN. This feels awkward.
30D: "American __": IDOL. Is anything happening with IDOL right now?
31D: Precious stone expert: GEMOLOGIST. This and 11D were a couple of nice, legitimate ten-letter fills.
35D: Stitch over: RESEW.
37D: Man of La Mancha: SENOR. Another great wordplay on Cervantes's "Don Quixote - Man of La Mancha".
38D: Acted like: APED. Are you happy with this clue/answer; it seems it wasn't liked very much the last time we had it.
39D: Contact or zoom: LENS.
41D: "All kidding __ ...": ASIDE.
42D: No-food protest: FAST.
47D: Snazzy entrance: PORTAL.
50D: Bite vigorously: CHOMP. STOMP and CHOMP, a strong echo here.
51D: Pie slice edges, geometrically: RADII. Plural of radius.
52D: One of Caesar's assassins: CASCA. Publius Servilius Casca was the first to strike Caesar with a dagger. Only remembered this after looking up the answer. Brutus is another assassin.
53D: Actress Lindsay: LOHAN. Showing off her talents.
57D: Longest river: NILE.
58D: Roswell sightings, briefly: UFOS. Roswell, NM is the the site of Area 51 (which doesn't exist either...or does it?)
59D: Printer's "let it stand": STET.
61D: To the __ degree: NTH. Echo of yesterday!
63D: One of many in the Aegean Sea: Abbr.: ISL. Abbr. of island or isle.
64D: Windy City transportation org.: CTA. Chicago Transit Authority or the band.
Answer grid.
Argyle
