Theme: THE WALLS HAVE EARS (38A. "Be careful what you say," and a hint to a feature shared by this puzzle's perimeter answers) - The string of letters EAR can be found along the outer edges (walls) of the grid. I've circled them for illustration.
1A. Poet Edward and a king: LEARS. King Lear. My first encounter with the British poet Edward Lear.
6A. "Like Mike" actress: MEARA (Anne). Ben Stiller's mother.
11A. Make on the job: EARN
69A. Wine industry reference point: YEAR. Wine vintage.
70A. Tough test metaphor: A BEAR
71A. Promise: SWEAR
1D. Shoe co. founded in Venice Beach: LA GEAR. Stymied me.
14D. Close one: NEAR MISS
38D. Like some football jerseys: TEARAWAY. Some people go nuts bidding on those game worn smelly jerseys.
52D. Show up: APPEAR
Ten EARS on the walls, perfect! A special 16*15 grid to accommodate the 16-letter unifying theme entry THE WALLS HAVE EARS. Neat that you can't find any non-theme entry containing **EAR** in the grid.
Across:
15. When Polonius says "brevity is the soul of wit": ACT II. From "Hamlet". Stumper for me.
16. Outdoor seating area: ARBOR
17. Old knife: SNEE. This has become a gimme.
18. Equatorial African country: GABON. I had ??BON sitting there forever.
19. Lindsay's "Bionic Woman" role: JAIME (Sommers). I just remember it as French "I love" J'aime.
20. Thompson in the Theater Hall of Fame: SADA. Sorry, have never heard of you. (Sorry for the wrong person. Here is the correct one. Thanks, Sam.)
22. Scrooge's visitors: GHOSTS
24. "Ta-ta!": LATER
25. "L.A. Law" extras: ATTS (Attorneys). And ABA (30D. Org. for 25-Across)
27. City near Provo: OREM
28. Chaos: MAYHEM
29. Swipe again?: RE-SCAN. Swipe a credit card.
31. Found, as tabloid fodder: DUG UP. Dug up the dirt.
33. Rec. label across the pond: EMI. One of the "big four" record labels.
34. The duck, in "Peter and the Wolf": OBOE. Can never remember which animal represents which instrument.
36. Liver oil source: COD
37. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones: AMES. Iowa State University.
43. Thought patterns, briefly?: EEGS. The brain tests.
44. Guitar cousin: UKE. Surprised to learn that it's pronounced like "ook", not "yook" in Hawaii. Thanks, KeaauRich! We also have HONOLULU (23D. Frequent Pro Bowl site).
45. Shade: TINT
46. Latin I word: AMO. Amo (I love), Amas (You love), Amat (He/She loves).
47. It's not on the level: SLOPE
49. Oceanic phenomenon that affects weather: LA NINA. Penned in EL NINO.
53. Baroque composer Jean-Philippe: RAMEAU. No idea. Is his hair real?
55. Jump in a rink: AXEL. Bet it's a gimme for Clear Ayes/Robin.
57. Unbalanced: A-LOP. Yep, it's a real word. Santa double-checked! Haysacks, all A-LOP.
58. Ever: AT ALL
59. Lens holders: FRAMES
61. Back talk: LIP
62. Erosive force: WIND. Erosive indeed.
63. Like candied fruits: GLACE. SWEET, anyone?
64. Revolutionary Chopin piece?: ETUDE. An intuitive fill. Not familiar with Chopin's "The Revolutionary Étude".
66. Play to __: A TIE
67. Dull: MATTE. Like some photos.
68. Where gobs go: TO SEA. Gob is slang for "sailor". Gimme for our Navy guys Frank and Spitzoov, I hope. if so, splice the main brace!
Down:
2. French card game similar to whist: ECARTE. Got me. Écarté (ey-kahr-TEY) is literally "discarded". Card game for two players.
3. Casey's turns: AT-BATS. And MUDVILLE (28D. Casey's team). Love the poem "Casey at the Bat". "... But there is no joy in Mudville— mighty Casey has struck out."
4. Ipanema's city: RIO. Maybe Argyle can find a good clip of "The Girl From Ipanema".
5. Do a number: SING. Musical "number".
6. College choice: MAJOR
7. Undid: ERASED
8. Adequate, and then some: A BIT MUCH
11. Blue book entry: ESSAY
12. Object of loathing: ANATHEMA. Know the meaning, not the exact spelling.
13. Mahdi, in Islam: REDEEMER. Mahdi (MAH-dee) is the Muslim messiah, like Jesus. New to me.
24. Sitter's offer to a tot: LAP
26. Garbage haulers: SCOWS
32. Bearded butter: GOAT. Butt-er, the one who butts. Goat butts.
35. Nevada city on I-80: ELKO. What's so famous about this city?
37. Health Net rival: AETNA. Named after the Sicilian volcano ETNA.
39. Iron ore: HEMATITE. Literally "bloodstone". Hemat(o) is prefix for "blood".
40. Dorian Gray's flaw: EGOMANIA. Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". I cheated on this one.
41. Like exes: SEPARATE. Like the Edwards. Was amazed by the thick hair of John Edwards when I met him.
42. Bambi relative: ENA. Bambi's aunt.
47. __ Paradise, "On the Road" narrator: SAL. Nope. Have never heard of this novel.
48. Parimutuel bet: EXACTA. Picking the top two finishers in order.
50. Mishandling: ILL-USE. Same meaning as "misuse", right?
51. Shrugger's comment: NO IDEA. Well, I don't shrug my shoulders when I say so.
54. Respected one: ELDER. Esp in China/Japan, you don't argue with the elders.
56. Arab potentate: EMEER. See EMIR more often.
59. Tightening target: FLAB.
60. Jazz sessions: SETS
63. "Today" rival, briefly: GMA (Good Morning America)
65. Haul: TOW
Note from today's constructor:
“The Walls have Ears” was inspired by an episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle. I am very fond of many old cartoons, and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is so fun because of all of the wordplay. The particular episode that I was watching featured an office of a spy headquarters, and wallpaper that featured images of ears. A wonderful subtle touch was that although it was never said, the image hearkened to the phrase from spy movies, etc., “the walls have ears.” Naturally, I decided right there that I had to do something with that. The phrase is 16 letters long, which adds a constraint to making the puzzle. I tried for putting as many different letters before EAR as I could around the ‘walls’ of the puzzle.
An interesting sidelight is that this puzzle was submitted a long time ago, last spring I think. It had to be shelved until a reasonable time elapsed after a similar theme was published. That theme was INNER EAR, which had EAR straddling words in a phrase. So it was a surprise when Rich e-mailed me in December that I had to change the puzzle. I had an entry, HERE HERE, which is inaccurate. It should be , HEAR HEAR. An ironic fate, being that HEAR HEAR has two ears in it. It was unfortunate, because I had a really good fill going in that corner. I had to do major revisions affecting half of the puzzle. Anyway, I was able to get the present version accepted before the deadline, and I just squeaked it by for January."
Answer grid.
C.C.
1A. Poet Edward and a king: LEARS. King Lear. My first encounter with the British poet Edward Lear.
6A. "Like Mike" actress: MEARA (Anne). Ben Stiller's mother.
11A. Make on the job: EARN
69A. Wine industry reference point: YEAR. Wine vintage.
70A. Tough test metaphor: A BEAR
71A. Promise: SWEAR
1D. Shoe co. founded in Venice Beach: LA GEAR. Stymied me.
14D. Close one: NEAR MISS
38D. Like some football jerseys: TEARAWAY. Some people go nuts bidding on those game worn smelly jerseys.
52D. Show up: APPEAR
Ten EARS on the walls, perfect! A special 16*15 grid to accommodate the 16-letter unifying theme entry THE WALLS HAVE EARS. Neat that you can't find any non-theme entry containing **EAR** in the grid.
This puzzle reminds me of Don "Hard G" Gagliado's "Shoe Store" puzzle, in which each four-square corner has a box of S H O E (arranged in counterclockwise pattern and the rotation is changed one space at a time). He has a creative & exploratory mind.
Like almost every one of his puzzle that I've blogged, today's theme concept is original and fun. Absolutely no predictability when you see his byline. Always an adventure. Don has kindly provided us the inspiration for this puzzle. Scroll down to the end of this post to read.
Like almost every one of his puzzle that I've blogged, today's theme concept is original and fun. Absolutely no predictability when you see his byline. Always an adventure. Don has kindly provided us the inspiration for this puzzle. Scroll down to the end of this post to read.
Across:
15. When Polonius says "brevity is the soul of wit": ACT II. From "Hamlet". Stumper for me.
16. Outdoor seating area: ARBOR
17. Old knife: SNEE. This has become a gimme.
18. Equatorial African country: GABON. I had ??BON sitting there forever.
19. Lindsay's "Bionic Woman" role: JAIME (Sommers). I just remember it as French "I love" J'aime.
20. Thompson in the Theater Hall of Fame: SADA. Sorry, have never heard of you. (Sorry for the wrong person. Here is the correct one. Thanks, Sam.)
22. Scrooge's visitors: GHOSTS
24. "Ta-ta!": LATER
25. "L.A. Law" extras: ATTS (Attorneys). And ABA (30D. Org. for 25-Across)
27. City near Provo: OREM
28. Chaos: MAYHEM
29. Swipe again?: RE-SCAN. Swipe a credit card.
31. Found, as tabloid fodder: DUG UP. Dug up the dirt.
33. Rec. label across the pond: EMI. One of the "big four" record labels.
34. The duck, in "Peter and the Wolf": OBOE. Can never remember which animal represents which instrument.
36. Liver oil source: COD
37. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones: AMES. Iowa State University.
43. Thought patterns, briefly?: EEGS. The brain tests.
44. Guitar cousin: UKE. Surprised to learn that it's pronounced like "ook", not "yook" in Hawaii. Thanks, KeaauRich! We also have HONOLULU (23D. Frequent Pro Bowl site).
45. Shade: TINT
46. Latin I word: AMO. Amo (I love), Amas (You love), Amat (He/She loves).
47. It's not on the level: SLOPE
49. Oceanic phenomenon that affects weather: LA NINA. Penned in EL NINO.
53. Baroque composer Jean-Philippe: RAMEAU. No idea. Is his hair real?
55. Jump in a rink: AXEL. Bet it's a gimme for Clear Ayes/Robin.
57. Unbalanced: A-LOP. Yep, it's a real word. Santa double-checked! Haysacks, all A-LOP.
58. Ever: AT ALL
59. Lens holders: FRAMES
61. Back talk: LIP
62. Erosive force: WIND. Erosive indeed.
63. Like candied fruits: GLACE. SWEET, anyone?
64. Revolutionary Chopin piece?: ETUDE. An intuitive fill. Not familiar with Chopin's "The Revolutionary Étude".
66. Play to __: A TIE
67. Dull: MATTE. Like some photos.
68. Where gobs go: TO SEA. Gob is slang for "sailor". Gimme for our Navy guys Frank and Spitzoov, I hope. if so, splice the main brace!
Down:
2. French card game similar to whist: ECARTE. Got me. Écarté (ey-kahr-TEY) is literally "discarded". Card game for two players.
3. Casey's turns: AT-BATS. And MUDVILLE (28D. Casey's team). Love the poem "Casey at the Bat". "... But there is no joy in Mudville— mighty Casey has struck out."
4. Ipanema's city: RIO. Maybe Argyle can find a good clip of "The Girl From Ipanema".
5. Do a number: SING. Musical "number".
6. College choice: MAJOR
7. Undid: ERASED
8. Adequate, and then some: A BIT MUCH
11. Blue book entry: ESSAY
12. Object of loathing: ANATHEMA. Know the meaning, not the exact spelling.
13. Mahdi, in Islam: REDEEMER. Mahdi (MAH-dee) is the Muslim messiah, like Jesus. New to me.
24. Sitter's offer to a tot: LAP
26. Garbage haulers: SCOWS
32. Bearded butter: GOAT. Butt-er, the one who butts. Goat butts.
35. Nevada city on I-80: ELKO. What's so famous about this city?
37. Health Net rival: AETNA. Named after the Sicilian volcano ETNA.
39. Iron ore: HEMATITE. Literally "bloodstone". Hemat(o) is prefix for "blood".
40. Dorian Gray's flaw: EGOMANIA. Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". I cheated on this one.
41. Like exes: SEPARATE. Like the Edwards. Was amazed by the thick hair of John Edwards when I met him.
42. Bambi relative: ENA. Bambi's aunt.
47. __ Paradise, "On the Road" narrator: SAL. Nope. Have never heard of this novel.
48. Parimutuel bet: EXACTA. Picking the top two finishers in order.
50. Mishandling: ILL-USE. Same meaning as "misuse", right?
51. Shrugger's comment: NO IDEA. Well, I don't shrug my shoulders when I say so.
54. Respected one: ELDER. Esp in China/Japan, you don't argue with the elders.
56. Arab potentate: EMEER. See EMIR more often.
59. Tightening target: FLAB.
60. Jazz sessions: SETS
63. "Today" rival, briefly: GMA (Good Morning America)
65. Haul: TOW
Note from today's constructor:
“The Walls have Ears” was inspired by an episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle. I am very fond of many old cartoons, and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is so fun because of all of the wordplay. The particular episode that I was watching featured an office of a spy headquarters, and wallpaper that featured images of ears. A wonderful subtle touch was that although it was never said, the image hearkened to the phrase from spy movies, etc., “the walls have ears.” Naturally, I decided right there that I had to do something with that. The phrase is 16 letters long, which adds a constraint to making the puzzle. I tried for putting as many different letters before EAR as I could around the ‘walls’ of the puzzle.
An interesting sidelight is that this puzzle was submitted a long time ago, last spring I think. It had to be shelved until a reasonable time elapsed after a similar theme was published. That theme was INNER EAR, which had EAR straddling words in a phrase. So it was a surprise when Rich e-mailed me in December that I had to change the puzzle. I had an entry, HERE HERE, which is inaccurate. It should be , HEAR HEAR. An ironic fate, being that HEAR HEAR has two ears in it. It was unfortunate, because I had a really good fill going in that corner. I had to do major revisions affecting half of the puzzle. Anyway, I was able to get the present version accepted before the deadline, and I just squeaked it by for January."
Answer grid.
C.C.
