Theme: PH LEVEL (33A. Acidity or alkalinity measurement, which is literally 8 for this puzzle's four longest answers) - There are total 8 digraph PH's in the 4 longest theme entries.
17A. Plato's field: PHILOSOPHY. What is your definition of Platonic love?
22A. Wedding hiree: PHOTOGRAPHER
45A. City named by William Penn: PHILADELPHIA. The City of Brotherly Love.
54A. Its white variety glows upon exposure to oxygen: PHOSPHORUS. New word to me.
I like that all of the theme answers are long-lettered one-word entries with two consecutive PH combination (instead of phrases with one word ending in P and other starting in H. You know, the word spanning P H style). Very narrowly focused, as Nancy Salomon advocates. Can you think of any other word with the same pattern?
Nice "driving" rya Dan weaved in the clues:
30A. Driveway surface: GRAVEL
32A. Driver's aid: TEE. Golf "driver".
30D. Driving hazard: GLARE
Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 20. Pretty high. But not many sparkling clues. Guess that's why it's a Wednesday rather than a wicked Friday Dan Naddor.
Across:
1. Japanese noodle dish: RAMEN. I like the real soup-based, soy sauce flavored Ramen, not the instant noodle.
6. Starbuck's boss: AHAB. Starbuck is Captain Ahab's first mate in "Moby-Dick".
10. Stern's opposite: STEM. Hence the idiom "from stem to stern".
14. Words after complete or close: A SALE
15. One of the Simpsons: LISA. Bart has 4-letters too.
16. Head shape in a recurring "SNL" skit: CONE
20. Like mozzarella: SEMI-SOFT
21. Journalist __ Boothe Luce: CLARE. Wife of Henry Luce, founder of Time, Life, and Fortune.
25. "The Jazz Singer" subject: JOLSON (Al). "The Jazz Singer" is the first talkie movie ever made.
28. "The Ten Commandments" role: RAMESES. So many Rameses in ancient Egypt.
29. Lake near Niagara Falls: ERIE
35. 3.0, e.g.: Abbr.: GPA
39. Jerusalem temple site: ZION. Hence Zionism?
40. Soft-shell clam: STEAMER. Is the clam steamed? I've never had it.
43. Foul: SMELLY
48. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN (Harold)
49. 1996 bride of comic books and television: LOIS LANE. "Superman".
57. 2008 American League champs: RAYS. Lost to the Phillies in the World Series.
58. Absorbed the loss: ATE IT
59. Form 1040 IDs: SSNS. So easy to lose our identities in this Internet Age, no matter how careful we are.
60. Shoppe sign word: OLDE
61. Jr.-year exams: PSATS
Down:
1. Knocks: RAPS
3. Hurt badly: MAIM. Ouch!
4. Orbital shape: ELLIPSE
5. River past Iola, Kansas: NEOSHO. Native Indian for "clear, cold water". I've never heard of Neosho River, nor the city Iola.
6. Up in the air: ALOFT
7. Aware of: HIP TO
10. Surgeon's tool: SCALPEL
11. Contents of some arks: TORAHS
12. Chef's preparation: ENTREE. Robin mentioned tamales and black eyed peas as her New Year's Day traditional food & Jeannie has crab legs & corn on the cob for New Year's Eve. What's your family ritual? We always have walleye fish and some form of sweet mochi rice. Not often ice cream though.
13. Ann __, only woman to sign a contract with an NBA team: MEYERS. With the Indiana Pacers in 1980. Wikipedia says "She participated in three-day tryouts for the team, but eventually was not chosen for the final squad.".
21. Bedouin's mount: CAMEL. Bedouin refers to nomadic Arab.
24. Speak wildly: RAVE
25. Lockheed product: JET
26. Tram filler: ORE
31. On a pension: Abbr.: RET (Retired)
33. Spin doc: PR MAN. PR PERSON to be PC.
35. __ Grissom, former "CSI" role: GIL. Got his name from crosses.
36. Campaign hustler, for short: POL
38. Fortes: TALENTS. They are not the same to me.
39. Gung-ho types: ZEALOTS
40. Involuntary contractions: SPASMS. Cramps too.
41. "__ Company": old sitcom: THREE'S
42. Astronaut Collins: EILEEN. The first female Space Shuttle pilot/commander.
43. Ocean traveler: SHIP
44. Accident: MISHAP
46. London insurance pioneer: LLOYD
47. Ad hoc oater group: POSSE. Why "Ad hoc"?
51. Dark time for de Gaulle: NUIT. French for "night". "Bonne Nuit" is "Good night". Alliteration again.
52. Ballpark figs.: ESTS (Estimates)
54. Veteran: PRO
55. Prince of Broadway: HAL. Wikipedia mentioned that he's got a record 21 Tony Awards. That's incredible.
Huge thanks to Argyle and Al for making today's blogging possible. And a belated Happy Fermat-numbered Birthday to Lorraine!
Answer grid.
C.C.
17A. Plato's field: PHILOSOPHY. What is your definition of Platonic love?
22A. Wedding hiree: PHOTOGRAPHER
45A. City named by William Penn: PHILADELPHIA. The City of Brotherly Love.
54A. Its white variety glows upon exposure to oxygen: PHOSPHORUS. New word to me.
I like that all of the theme answers are long-lettered one-word entries with two consecutive PH combination (instead of phrases with one word ending in P and other starting in H. You know, the word spanning P H style). Very narrowly focused, as Nancy Salomon advocates. Can you think of any other word with the same pattern?
Nice "driving" rya Dan weaved in the clues:
30A. Driveway surface: GRAVEL
32A. Driver's aid: TEE. Golf "driver".
30D. Driving hazard: GLARE
Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 20. Pretty high. But not many sparkling clues. Guess that's why it's a Wednesday rather than a wicked Friday Dan Naddor.
Across:
1. Japanese noodle dish: RAMEN. I like the real soup-based, soy sauce flavored Ramen, not the instant noodle.
6. Starbuck's boss: AHAB. Starbuck is Captain Ahab's first mate in "Moby-Dick".
10. Stern's opposite: STEM. Hence the idiom "from stem to stern".
14. Words after complete or close: A SALE
15. One of the Simpsons: LISA. Bart has 4-letters too.
16. Head shape in a recurring "SNL" skit: CONE
20. Like mozzarella: SEMI-SOFT
21. Journalist __ Boothe Luce: CLARE. Wife of Henry Luce, founder of Time, Life, and Fortune.
25. "The Jazz Singer" subject: JOLSON (Al). "The Jazz Singer" is the first talkie movie ever made.
28. "The Ten Commandments" role: RAMESES. So many Rameses in ancient Egypt.
29. Lake near Niagara Falls: ERIE
35. 3.0, e.g.: Abbr.: GPA
39. Jerusalem temple site: ZION. Hence Zionism?
40. Soft-shell clam: STEAMER. Is the clam steamed? I've never had it.
43. Foul: SMELLY
48. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN (Harold)
49. 1996 bride of comic books and television: LOIS LANE. "Superman".
57. 2008 American League champs: RAYS. Lost to the Phillies in the World Series.
58. Absorbed the loss: ATE IT
59. Form 1040 IDs: SSNS. So easy to lose our identities in this Internet Age, no matter how careful we are.
60. Shoppe sign word: OLDE
61. Jr.-year exams: PSATS
Down:
1. Knocks: RAPS
3. Hurt badly: MAIM. Ouch!
4. Orbital shape: ELLIPSE
5. River past Iola, Kansas: NEOSHO. Native Indian for "clear, cold water". I've never heard of Neosho River, nor the city Iola.
6. Up in the air: ALOFT
7. Aware of: HIP TO
10. Surgeon's tool: SCALPEL
11. Contents of some arks: TORAHS
12. Chef's preparation: ENTREE. Robin mentioned tamales and black eyed peas as her New Year's Day traditional food & Jeannie has crab legs & corn on the cob for New Year's Eve. What's your family ritual? We always have walleye fish and some form of sweet mochi rice. Not often ice cream though.
13. Ann __, only woman to sign a contract with an NBA team: MEYERS. With the Indiana Pacers in 1980. Wikipedia says "She participated in three-day tryouts for the team, but eventually was not chosen for the final squad.".
21. Bedouin's mount: CAMEL. Bedouin refers to nomadic Arab.
24. Speak wildly: RAVE
25. Lockheed product: JET
26. Tram filler: ORE
31. On a pension: Abbr.: RET (Retired)
33. Spin doc: PR MAN. PR PERSON to be PC.
35. __ Grissom, former "CSI" role: GIL. Got his name from crosses.
36. Campaign hustler, for short: POL
38. Fortes: TALENTS. They are not the same to me.
39. Gung-ho types: ZEALOTS
40. Involuntary contractions: SPASMS. Cramps too.
41. "__ Company": old sitcom: THREE'S
42. Astronaut Collins: EILEEN. The first female Space Shuttle pilot/commander.
43. Ocean traveler: SHIP
44. Accident: MISHAP
46. London insurance pioneer: LLOYD
47. Ad hoc oater group: POSSE. Why "Ad hoc"?
51. Dark time for de Gaulle: NUIT. French for "night". "Bonne Nuit" is "Good night". Alliteration again.
52. Ballpark figs.: ESTS (Estimates)
54. Veteran: PRO
55. Prince of Broadway: HAL. Wikipedia mentioned that he's got a record 21 Tony Awards. That's incredible.
Huge thanks to Argyle and Al for making today's blogging possible. And a belated Happy Fermat-numbered Birthday to Lorraine!
Answer grid.
C.C.
