Theme: SHEEP (65A. Animal family hidden in 17-, 35- and 57-Across)
17A. Hackneyed line: HAVE WE MET BEFORE. After "You look familiar". EWE is embedded.
35A. Chowder base: CLAM BROTH. LAMB is hidden. What is the difference between broth and stock?
57A. Summertime cosmetic mishap: MASCARA MELTDOWN. Sweat. RAM is enclosed.
What an coincidence! Windhover just mentioned last night that kidding and lambing season is about to start.
All of the above hidden animal names are spread between two words. Nice consistency. Simple theme & light theme entries, which allow for plenty of long letter non-theme entries. I counted total 18 seven-letter entries, 12 of them are stacked in in each quadrant. Very Dan Naddor-like.
I was also delighted by the sparkling clues for short answers:
17A. Hackneyed line: HAVE WE MET BEFORE. After "You look familiar". EWE is embedded.
35A. Chowder base: CLAM BROTH. LAMB is hidden. What is the difference between broth and stock?
57A. Summertime cosmetic mishap: MASCARA MELTDOWN. Sweat. RAM is enclosed.
What an coincidence! Windhover just mentioned last night that kidding and lambing season is about to start.
All of the above hidden animal names are spread between two words. Nice consistency. Simple theme & light theme entries, which allow for plenty of long letter non-theme entries. I counted total 18 seven-letter entries, 12 of them are stacked in in each quadrant. Very Dan Naddor-like.
I was also delighted by the sparkling clues for short answers:
21A. Heros: SUBS. Hero Sandwich.
22A. Male delivery: SON. Playing on "mail delivery".
29A. Killed, in a way: VETOED. Killed "bill".
32A. MA and PA: STS (States). Pun on "Ma and Pa".
53A. Rear admiral's rear: AFT. Oh, the rear of his ship.
30D. Move in high circles?: ORBIT. For the planets.
39D. Talking a blue streak?: PROFANE. "Blue" here means "risqué".
55D. Brest friend: AMIE. Playing on "Best friend". Brest is a seaport in western France.
Easier than our average Thursday, wasn't it? Maybe I just mind melded with the constructor (Thanks, Argyle).
Easier than our average Thursday, wasn't it? Maybe I just mind melded with the constructor (Thanks, Argyle).
Across:
1. Italian port on the Adriatic: BARI. In southeast Italy. And AMORE (20A. Love, in 1-Across)
5. Los Alamos project, briefly: A-BOMB. Thought of A-TEST first.
10. Newspaper family name: OCHS. Of the New York Times.
14. Yemen's main port: ADEN
15. Roofed patio: LANAI. Literally "roofed patio" in Hawaiian.
23. Frothy fountain drinks: MALTEDS. Partially alliterative clue.
26. Green soldier: RECRUIT. "Green" = inexperienced. Tyro.
31. River in NW France: ORNE. See this map. If flows to the English Channel.
33. Bakery worker with a gun: ICER
34. Spirited equine: STEED
38. "__ moi, le déluge": Louis XV: APRES. Literally "after". Après moi, le déluge = After me, the flood. Just means that nothing matters after he's dead.
41. New Rochelle, NY, college: IONA
42. "Pygmalion" monogram: GBS (George Bernard Shaw)
45. 1975 A.L. MVP and Rookie of the Year __ Lynn: FRED. When he was with the Red Sox. His baseball cards are not worth much. Ichiro is another player who won both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year (2001).
46. "The evil that men do lives after them" speaker: ANTONY. From "Julius Caesar". Not a familiar line to me.
45. 1975 A.L. MVP and Rookie of the Year __ Lynn: FRED. When he was with the Red Sox. His baseball cards are not worth much. Ichiro is another player who won both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year (2001).
46. "The evil that men do lives after them" speaker: ANTONY. From "Julius Caesar". Not a familiar line to me.
48. Brutally harsh: RAW. As weather.
49. __ stone: ROSETTA. Shouldn't "stone" be capitalized?
51. How architects draw: TO SCALE
54. Crimson Tide, briefly: 'BAMA. They just won the BCS Championship.
56. "Flip This House" network: A AND E. I've learned to parse AANDE.
61. Hall of Famer Slaughter: ENOS
62. Book from which the film "What's Love Got to Do With It" was adapted: I, TINA. I know it's Tina Turner's autobiography. Have never heard of the film though.
63. Netman Nastase: ILIE. Alliteration in the clue.
66. Buffoonish: ZANY
56. "Flip This House" network: A AND E. I've learned to parse AANDE.
61. Hall of Famer Slaughter: ENOS
62. Book from which the film "What's Love Got to Do With It" was adapted: I, TINA. I know it's Tina Turner's autobiography. Have never heard of the film though.
63. Netman Nastase: ILIE. Alliteration in the clue.
66. Buffoonish: ZANY
Down:
1. Commonwealth off Florida: BAHAMAS
2. Uncompromising: ADAMANT. I am, sometimes.
3. Rises up: REVOLTS
4. At a standstill: INERT. The grammar confuses me. "At a standstill" is an adjective, Kazie?
6. Kapow cousin: BAM. I want Kapow to be in quotation. "Kapow".
8. Come of age: MATURE
9. Like many lobster eaters: BIBBED
3. Rises up: REVOLTS
4. At a standstill: INERT. The grammar confuses me. "At a standstill" is an adjective, Kazie?
6. Kapow cousin: BAM. I want Kapow to be in quotation. "Kapow".
8. Come of age: MATURE
9. Like many lobster eaters: BIBBED
10. Galoot: OAF
11. Sense of completeness: CLOSURE
12. Sandra Bullock role, e.g.: HEROINE. Sandra Bullock is always so goofy.
13. Like some candles: SCENTED
18. Agricultural pests: WEEVILS. Here is one. Report please!
19. Corner PC key: ESC. Upper-left corner.
24. Numerical prefix: DECA. Prefix for "ten". As in decathlon.
25. Pipe part: STEM
27. Portnoy creator Philip: ROTH (Philip). Has anyone actually read "Portnoy's Complaint"?
34. Patronizes, as an inn: STAYS AT
35. Hand over: CEDE
46. Classic video games: ATARIS
47. "Broadway Joe": NAMATH. Quarterback Joe Namath is nicknamed "Broadway Joe".
52. City near Gibraltar: CADIZ. Here is the map. Quite far from Gibraltar, isn't it?
58. Western KY clock setting: CST. Had no idea that KY has 2 different time zones.
59. Santa Barbara-to-Vegas dir.: ENE. Direction is often my weakness.
60. Slurp (up): LAP
36. Canine anchor: ROOT. Canine tooth. Not dog.
38. Popular ski country homes: A-FRAMES. Drew a blank. Easy for snow to slide off the roof I presume.
40. Sits atop: RESTS ON
42. Hiker's snack: GRANOLA. I am so in love with my raw cashew & Medjool dates bar lately.
43. Longtime Steinway rival: BALDWIN. Piano maker. I've only heard of Steinway.
44. Todd of Broadway: SWEENEY. Sweeney Todd.
38. Popular ski country homes: A-FRAMES. Drew a blank. Easy for snow to slide off the roof I presume.
40. Sits atop: RESTS ON
42. Hiker's snack: GRANOLA. I am so in love with my raw cashew & Medjool dates bar lately.
43. Longtime Steinway rival: BALDWIN. Piano maker. I've only heard of Steinway.
44. Todd of Broadway: SWEENEY. Sweeney Todd.
46. Classic video games: ATARIS
47. "Broadway Joe": NAMATH. Quarterback Joe Namath is nicknamed "Broadway Joe".
52. City near Gibraltar: CADIZ. Here is the map. Quite far from Gibraltar, isn't it?
58. Western KY clock setting: CST. Had no idea that KY has 2 different time zones.
59. Santa Barbara-to-Vegas dir.: ENE. Direction is often my weakness.
60. Slurp (up): LAP
Answer grid.
C.C.
