Theme: Give It a (T)RY - RY is added to the T-ending first word of a common phrase.
17A. Battlefield success strategy?: INFANT(RY) FORMULA. Infant Formula.
21A. Church pool table features?: VEST(RY) POCKETS. Vest Pockets.
35A. Downside of grits and chicken-fried steak?: COUNT(RY) CALORIES. Count Calories.
43A. Armed guard?: SENT(RY) PACKING. Sent Packing. I don't quite get this one. What's the connection between "guard" and PACKING?
50A. Customs of dessert chefs?: PAST(RY) PRACTICES. Past Practices. Not a familiar legal term to me.
Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 18. Quite high. Nice pairs of 7-letter Across entries in each corner. Heavy 71 theme squares.
Wish EAT ON (22D. Use, as china) were clued as stationery brand EATON to avoid the duplication with EAT IT (26A. Absorb a loss, slangily).
I am used to seeing Dan's question-marked theme clues. His hallmark. Just like the vibrant yellow & blue colors in van Gogh's paintings. Last week's PHENOMENAL simply felt bland.
Across:
1. News: TIDINGS. Had the urge to fill in UPDATES.
8. Lumberyard tools: RIPSAWS
15. From 1988 to 1999, a record 856 consecutive games were played in Dodger Stadium without one: RAINOUT. Not aware of this Major League record.
16. Slightly: A WEE BIT
19. Big name in calculators: CASIO. "Big name in watch" too.
20. In an apt way: FITLY
27. Time co-founder: LUCE (Henry)
28. Minute Maid Park baseballer, locally: STRO. Houston Astros.
29. "What a looong day!": I'M BEAT
32. Store proprietor on "The Simpsons": APU
38. Mich. neighbor: ONT (Ontario)
40. Cross inscription: INRI. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews).
41. Its county seat is Grand Junction, Colorado: MESA. Where the Grand Mesa is located I presume.
42. Composer Bruckner: ANTON. An Austrian.
56. At risk of being lost in a hard drive failure: UNSAVED
57. Yes-men: TOADIES
58. Medical probes: STYLETS. What's the difference between a lancet and a stylet?
59. That much or more: AT LEAST
Down:
1. Numerical prefix: TRI. Prefix for "three".
2. "At Seventeen" singer Janis: IAN. See this clip. I've heard of the song, not the singer.
3. "What's the __?": DIF
4. Dormancy: INACTION. This one intersects three theme answers.
5. Dada, to many of its critics: NON-ART. Did you want NOT ART?
6. Brave: GUTSY
7. Steakhouse order: STRIP. Oh, bacon.
8. Battle of Britain gp.: RAF (Royal Air Force)
9. Target of WWII's Operation Detachment, familiarly: IWO. Was ignorant of the fact that Battle of Iwo Jima is also called Operation Detachment.
10. Tapered cigar: PERFECTO. No idea. Looks rather thick. What's their length?
11. Arab, e.g.: SEMITE. "Israeli, e.g." too.
12. Borders: ABUTS
13. Source of heir cuts?: WILL. Nice play on "hair cuts".
14. Canine command: STAY
18. "__-hoo!": YOO
21. 1970s fugitive financier Robert: VESCO. Nope. Not in memory bank. This guy was involved in the Watergate scandal.
23. Swaggering gait: STRUT
24. Like a smooth getaway: CLEAN. Fleeing getaway.
25. __ Lumpur, Malaysia: KUALA. A big part of "Entrapment" happened in Kuala Lumpur.
29. "__ my case": I REST
30. Polyester film trademark: MYLAR. What's the name origin of this brand? I can never remember it.
31. Pre-A.D.: BCE (Before the Common Era)
32. "__ a stinker?": Bugs Bunny line: AIN'T I
33. "Evita" subject: PERON (Eva)
36. "How dare they!": THE NERVE
37. Like premium hockey seats: RINK SIDE. Easy guess. Have never attended a hockey game.
39. State capital near the Big Belt Mountains: HELENA. And PLATA (45D. Oro y __: Montana's motto).
41. Like unwritten notes: MENTAL. Mental notes. Great clue.
42. Alcohol-based compound used in cosmetics: ACETAL. Al is a suffix for "alcohol".
43. Coward: SISSY
44. Suffix with law: YER. Lawyer. Sawyer too. Here is a great suffix list Clear Ayes found for us. YER = IER, meaning "one who".
46. Fancy scarf: ASCOT
47. Catalogued work: OPUS
48. Sound after a sprint: PANT. By the way, what does your "Runner's High" feel like? And how long does it normally last?
52. Law and order gps.: PDS (Police Departments). Silly, but it stumped me.
53. Covert fed. group: CIA
54. Some Caltech grads: EES (Electrical Engineers)
55. Old Atl. crosser: SST. Crossword constructors just can not live without SST.
Thanks for the awesome airport code information yesterday, everyone.
Answer grid.
C.C.
PS: Here is Orange's write-up on the warm story behind Merl Reagle's musical notes puzzle last Wednesday.
17A. Battlefield success strategy?: INFANT(RY) FORMULA. Infant Formula.
21A. Church pool table features?: VEST(RY) POCKETS. Vest Pockets.
35A. Downside of grits and chicken-fried steak?: COUNT(RY) CALORIES. Count Calories.
43A. Armed guard?: SENT(RY) PACKING. Sent Packing. I don't quite get this one. What's the connection between "guard" and PACKING?
50A. Customs of dessert chefs?: PAST(RY) PRACTICES. Past Practices. Not a familiar legal term to me.
Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 18. Quite high. Nice pairs of 7-letter Across entries in each corner. Heavy 71 theme squares.
Wish EAT ON (22D. Use, as china) were clued as stationery brand EATON to avoid the duplication with EAT IT (26A. Absorb a loss, slangily).
I am used to seeing Dan's question-marked theme clues. His hallmark. Just like the vibrant yellow & blue colors in van Gogh's paintings. Last week's PHENOMENAL simply felt bland.
Across:
1. News: TIDINGS. Had the urge to fill in UPDATES.
8. Lumberyard tools: RIPSAWS
15. From 1988 to 1999, a record 856 consecutive games were played in Dodger Stadium without one: RAINOUT. Not aware of this Major League record.
16. Slightly: A WEE BIT
19. Big name in calculators: CASIO. "Big name in watch" too.
20. In an apt way: FITLY
27. Time co-founder: LUCE (Henry)
28. Minute Maid Park baseballer, locally: STRO. Houston Astros.
29. "What a looong day!": I'M BEAT
32. Store proprietor on "The Simpsons": APU
38. Mich. neighbor: ONT (Ontario)
40. Cross inscription: INRI. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews).
41. Its county seat is Grand Junction, Colorado: MESA. Where the Grand Mesa is located I presume.
42. Composer Bruckner: ANTON. An Austrian.
56. At risk of being lost in a hard drive failure: UNSAVED
57. Yes-men: TOADIES
58. Medical probes: STYLETS. What's the difference between a lancet and a stylet?
59. That much or more: AT LEAST
Down:
1. Numerical prefix: TRI. Prefix for "three".
2. "At Seventeen" singer Janis: IAN. See this clip. I've heard of the song, not the singer.
3. "What's the __?": DIF
4. Dormancy: INACTION. This one intersects three theme answers.
5. Dada, to many of its critics: NON-ART. Did you want NOT ART?
6. Brave: GUTSY
7. Steakhouse order: STRIP. Oh, bacon.
8. Battle of Britain gp.: RAF (Royal Air Force)
9. Target of WWII's Operation Detachment, familiarly: IWO. Was ignorant of the fact that Battle of Iwo Jima is also called Operation Detachment.
10. Tapered cigar: PERFECTO. No idea. Looks rather thick. What's their length?
11. Arab, e.g.: SEMITE. "Israeli, e.g." too.
12. Borders: ABUTS
13. Source of heir cuts?: WILL. Nice play on "hair cuts".
14. Canine command: STAY
18. "__-hoo!": YOO
21. 1970s fugitive financier Robert: VESCO. Nope. Not in memory bank. This guy was involved in the Watergate scandal.
23. Swaggering gait: STRUT
24. Like a smooth getaway: CLEAN. Fleeing getaway.
25. __ Lumpur, Malaysia: KUALA. A big part of "Entrapment" happened in Kuala Lumpur.
29. "__ my case": I REST
30. Polyester film trademark: MYLAR. What's the name origin of this brand? I can never remember it.
31. Pre-A.D.: BCE (Before the Common Era)
32. "__ a stinker?": Bugs Bunny line: AIN'T I
33. "Evita" subject: PERON (Eva)
36. "How dare they!": THE NERVE
37. Like premium hockey seats: RINK SIDE. Easy guess. Have never attended a hockey game.
39. State capital near the Big Belt Mountains: HELENA. And PLATA (45D. Oro y __: Montana's motto).
41. Like unwritten notes: MENTAL. Mental notes. Great clue.
42. Alcohol-based compound used in cosmetics: ACETAL. Al is a suffix for "alcohol".
43. Coward: SISSY
44. Suffix with law: YER. Lawyer. Sawyer too. Here is a great suffix list Clear Ayes found for us. YER = IER, meaning "one who".
46. Fancy scarf: ASCOT
47. Catalogued work: OPUS
48. Sound after a sprint: PANT. By the way, what does your "Runner's High" feel like? And how long does it normally last?
52. Law and order gps.: PDS (Police Departments). Silly, but it stumped me.
53. Covert fed. group: CIA
54. Some Caltech grads: EES (Electrical Engineers)
55. Old Atl. crosser: SST. Crossword constructors just can not live without SST.
Thanks for the awesome airport code information yesterday, everyone.
Answer grid.
C.C.
PS: Here is Orange's write-up on the warm story behind Merl Reagle's musical notes puzzle last Wednesday.
