Theme: Alter E (go) - Letters EE in the second word of a familiar phrase is changed to EA. Long E sound remains.
20A. Theft with a clean getaway?: STAINLESS STEAL. Play on Stainless Steel. "Clean" = STAINLESS.
25. Filling the shelves with no leftover merchandise or space?: STOCKING FEAT. Stocking Feet. Not a familiar expression to me.
47A. Loud signal when the fries are done?: POTATO PEALER. Potato Peeler. Groan on pealer.
55A. Yoko?: JAPANESE BEATLE. Japanese Beetle. Has Yoko Ono ever been referred to as a Beatle?
English is complicated. EE, EA, EI (Conceit), IE (Chief), EY (Key) all have the long E sound. So can letters E (Me) and I (Unique).
An easier than normal Friday for me. Maybe I mind-melded with the two constructors from the very start. Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.
Tricky & entertaining clues like AESOP (14A. Fabulous storyteller) aplenty. "Fabulous" here doubles as the adjective of fable and "incredible". Superb clue. AE here has a long E sound as well.
Across:
1. Big theme park star: SHAMU. SeaWorld star.
6. Fancy dance: BALL
10. Cookie fruit: FIGS. Fig Newton.
15. Reed instrument: OBOE
16. Katz of "Hocus Pocus": OMRI. "Sheaf of grain" in Hebrew. I can never remember his name. He's in "Dallas" also.
17. Mill input: GRIST. Gristmill.
18. Two-time 1980s skating gold medalist: WITT (Katarina). Got her name from crossings. German figure skater.
19. German wheels: OPEL
23. Bruise treatment: ICE
24. Corpulence: OBESITY
30. Manx, for one: CAT. The tail-less cat.
31. Insult: SLUR
32. Attractive locale: MECCA. Struggled with the answer. Tricky crossing clues.
36. Short range: A TO B
38. Play for time: STALL. Like filibuster.
41. [It's gone!]: POOF. Put in PFFT first.
42. No-frills: BASIC
44. Word repeated in a famous FDR quote: FEAR. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
46. St. whose northernmost division is Boundary County: IDA (Idaho). Drew a blank.
51. Without means of support?: BRALESS. Nailed it.
54. Mil. rank: SGT
60. Take too much of, briefly: OD ON. OD = Overdose.
61. Fictional plantation: TARA. In "Gone With the Wind".
62. They have their pride: LIONS. Pride = a group of lion.
65. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI. I mentioned this trivia in my writeup before.
66. 1940s-'50s NFLer __ "Crazylegs" Hirsch: ELROY. Nicknamed for his unusual running style. Total stranger to me.
67. Turndowns: NOES. Always thought the plural for NO is just NOS.
68. Carrier since 1948: EL AL. Israel achieved its independence in 1948 too. I liked trivia clues.
69. Heads to sea: SAILS
Down:
2. Bierce defines it "His": HERS. In his "The Devil's Dictionary", Ambrose Bierce defines "Hers" as "His". What does it mean? I don't get it.
3. "__ stands now ...": AS IT
4. Inlaid work: MOSAIC
5. Market advances: UPTICKS. Stock market, right?
6. Get a spare, perhaps: BOWL. My husband just bowled a 793 series.
7. Irish Rose's guy: ABIE
8. Plenty: LOTS OF
9. Doesn't bother with: LETS BE
10. Suspense movie sound: FOOTSTEP. Vivid clue. I can almost hear the sound.
11. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect: I. M. PEI. I was unaware that PEI designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born in Guangzhou, where I lived before moving to the US.
12. Epithet for many leaders, with "the": GREAT. Like Alexander/Catherine the Great.
13. Frivolous: SILLY
21. Diamond et al.: NEILS. Neil Diamond. I was thinking of the gemstone diamond of course.
22. Mine stratum: SEAM. New definition of seam to me.
25. Line crosser of a sort: SCAB
27. Plains natives: OTOS
28. Enthusiast: NUT
29. Plant connection: GRAFT. Didn't come to me readily.
33. Prepare to strike, snake-style: COIL. Very descriptive clue. Nice S alliteration.
34. It can't be understood until it's broken: CODE. Got me again.
35. Whence the wise men?: AFAR. This refers to the three wise men traveled afar to see infant Jesus, correct?
37. Some crop dusters: BIPLANES
40. End: LAPSE. End here is a verb (expire), isn't it?
43. Either of two filmmaking brothers: COEN. They grew up here in Minnesota.
45. Grandly entertains: REGALES
48. Fly over Africa?: TSETSE. Great clue. I am glad the old TMS "Half a fly?" days are over.
49. Go after with vigor: ASSAIL
50. Hun king: ATTILA. Attila the Hun.
51. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame the same year as Billie Jean: BJORN (Borg). In 1987. Easy guess.
52. Music player: RADIO
53. Strike __: model: A POSE. Nice pose.
57. Leave in a hurry, slangily: BAIL
58. Actress Petty: LORI. No idea. Looks like Buddy Holly's glasses.
59. Hydroxyl compound: ENOL. Four-letter compound is always ENOL.
63. Method: Abbr.: SYS (System)
Answer grid.
C.C.
20A. Theft with a clean getaway?: STAINLESS STEAL. Play on Stainless Steel. "Clean" = STAINLESS.
25. Filling the shelves with no leftover merchandise or space?: STOCKING FEAT. Stocking Feet. Not a familiar expression to me.
47A. Loud signal when the fries are done?: POTATO PEALER. Potato Peeler. Groan on pealer.
55A. Yoko?: JAPANESE BEATLE. Japanese Beetle. Has Yoko Ono ever been referred to as a Beatle?
English is complicated. EE, EA, EI (Conceit), IE (Chief), EY (Key) all have the long E sound. So can letters E (Me) and I (Unique).
An easier than normal Friday for me. Maybe I mind-melded with the two constructors from the very start. Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.
Tricky & entertaining clues like AESOP (14A. Fabulous storyteller) aplenty. "Fabulous" here doubles as the adjective of fable and "incredible". Superb clue. AE here has a long E sound as well.
Across:
1. Big theme park star: SHAMU. SeaWorld star.
6. Fancy dance: BALL
10. Cookie fruit: FIGS. Fig Newton.
15. Reed instrument: OBOE
16. Katz of "Hocus Pocus": OMRI. "Sheaf of grain" in Hebrew. I can never remember his name. He's in "Dallas" also.
17. Mill input: GRIST. Gristmill.
18. Two-time 1980s skating gold medalist: WITT (Katarina). Got her name from crossings. German figure skater.
19. German wheels: OPEL
23. Bruise treatment: ICE
24. Corpulence: OBESITY
30. Manx, for one: CAT. The tail-less cat.
31. Insult: SLUR
32. Attractive locale: MECCA. Struggled with the answer. Tricky crossing clues.
36. Short range: A TO B
38. Play for time: STALL. Like filibuster.
41. [It's gone!]: POOF. Put in PFFT first.
42. No-frills: BASIC
44. Word repeated in a famous FDR quote: FEAR. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
46. St. whose northernmost division is Boundary County: IDA (Idaho). Drew a blank.
51. Without means of support?: BRALESS. Nailed it.
54. Mil. rank: SGT
60. Take too much of, briefly: OD ON. OD = Overdose.
61. Fictional plantation: TARA. In "Gone With the Wind".
62. They have their pride: LIONS. Pride = a group of lion.
65. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI. I mentioned this trivia in my writeup before.
66. 1940s-'50s NFLer __ "Crazylegs" Hirsch: ELROY. Nicknamed for his unusual running style. Total stranger to me.
67. Turndowns: NOES. Always thought the plural for NO is just NOS.
68. Carrier since 1948: EL AL. Israel achieved its independence in 1948 too. I liked trivia clues.
69. Heads to sea: SAILS
Down:
2. Bierce defines it "His": HERS. In his "The Devil's Dictionary", Ambrose Bierce defines "Hers" as "His". What does it mean? I don't get it.
3. "__ stands now ...": AS IT
4. Inlaid work: MOSAIC
5. Market advances: UPTICKS. Stock market, right?
6. Get a spare, perhaps: BOWL. My husband just bowled a 793 series.
7. Irish Rose's guy: ABIE
8. Plenty: LOTS OF
9. Doesn't bother with: LETS BE
10. Suspense movie sound: FOOTSTEP. Vivid clue. I can almost hear the sound.
11. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect: I. M. PEI. I was unaware that PEI designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born in Guangzhou, where I lived before moving to the US.
12. Epithet for many leaders, with "the": GREAT. Like Alexander/Catherine the Great.
13. Frivolous: SILLY
21. Diamond et al.: NEILS. Neil Diamond. I was thinking of the gemstone diamond of course.
22. Mine stratum: SEAM. New definition of seam to me.
25. Line crosser of a sort: SCAB
27. Plains natives: OTOS
28. Enthusiast: NUT
29. Plant connection: GRAFT. Didn't come to me readily.
33. Prepare to strike, snake-style: COIL. Very descriptive clue. Nice S alliteration.
34. It can't be understood until it's broken: CODE. Got me again.
35. Whence the wise men?: AFAR. This refers to the three wise men traveled afar to see infant Jesus, correct?
37. Some crop dusters: BIPLANES
40. End: LAPSE. End here is a verb (expire), isn't it?
43. Either of two filmmaking brothers: COEN. They grew up here in Minnesota.
45. Grandly entertains: REGALES
48. Fly over Africa?: TSETSE. Great clue. I am glad the old TMS "Half a fly?" days are over.
49. Go after with vigor: ASSAIL
50. Hun king: ATTILA. Attila the Hun.
51. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame the same year as Billie Jean: BJORN (Borg). In 1987. Easy guess.
52. Music player: RADIO
53. Strike __: model: A POSE. Nice pose.
57. Leave in a hurry, slangily: BAIL
58. Actress Petty: LORI. No idea. Looks like Buddy Holly's glasses.
59. Hydroxyl compound: ENOL. Four-letter compound is always ENOL.
63. Method: Abbr.: SYS (System)
Answer grid.
C.C.
