Theme: None
Total blocks: 25
Total words: 66
This grid looks so clean, with no cheater/helper square. Only 25 black squares, the fewest I've seen in a LAT puzzle. The word count is quite low too.
Some of entries are quite fresh, and I love the clever use of "er" in the below clues:
13D. Old rubber?: ALADDIN. Rubber, one who rubs. When Aladdin rubs his oil lamp and magic appears.
38D. Art that requires a folder: ORIGAMI. Folder, one who folds. Not the portfolio folder.
But too many ER suffixes in grid answers:
53A. New __: AGER
63A. Wooers, perhaps: SERENADERS
40. Flautist: TOOTLER
43D. Slumber party?: SNOOZER. Party here means "participant". Great clue.
44D. R&D employees: TESTERS. Clue is asking for an abbreviated answer.
Tough slog today. Totally out of sync with this constructor Mark Diehl. We definitely do not speak the same language. Troubles everywhere.
Across:
1. Blended condiment: GARLIC SALT. Awesome answer.
11. Tricked twin: ESAU. He was tricked into selling his birthright to his brother Jacob. For some lentil soup.
15. She received a Best Actress nomination for "A Man and a Woman": ANOUK AIMEE. Always nice to have a full name. We often see AIMEE clued as "French Actress".
16. Not sharp: DULL
17. 2005 award for Leigh Ann Hester, the first woman to win it since WWII: SILVER STAR. I've never heard of Leigh Ann Hester, who was awarded the star for her heroic actions in Iraq War. Dennis has a Purple Heart.
18. "My word!": I SAY
19. Corner piece: ELL
20. Blind dates, e.g.: SETUPS
21. Youngsters: TADS. Learned this "youngster" meaning last time it appeared in the grid.
22. Auvers-sur-__, where van Gogh spent his final days: OISE. A commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris. Stumper. I only knew he did not die in Arles.
24. Prompter's cue: TEN SECONDS. Cool answer.
26. Common front: UNITY
28. Royale or Flying Cloud: REO. Wikipedia says REO's two most memorable cars were its Reo Flying Cloud introduced in 1927 and the Reo Royale 8 of 1931.
29. Bushmiller who created the comic "Nancy": ERNIE. Nope. He's not in my memory bank.
30. Campus big shot, often: SENIOR. BMOC (Big Man On Campus) used to befuddle me.
32. Finns' neighbors: RUSSIANS. Too many space for my first reaction: SWEDES.
34. Take into custody, in a way: CUFF
36. "Toodles!": TATA. Wikipedia says "Toodles!" is a shortened, more casual version of the French expression à tout à l'heure (Anglicized as "toodle-oo"), meaning "goodbye". I am surprised I've never heard of it before.
37. Bikini feature in a 1960 hit: POLKA DOT. "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini".
41. NASDAQ neighborhood: WALL ST. So simple in retrospect.
45. Dizzy: AREEL. Or A-REEL like A-LOP, Argyle?
46. Napoléon or Yves, e.g.: NOM. Both French given names.
48. Despicable sort: SWINE
49. Parts of feet: LITTLE TOES. Came to me with difficulty.
52. Deal busters, at times: EGOS. True.
54. Magic 8 Ball maker: MATTEL. Have yet to see HASBRO in a LAT puzzle.
56. "Joking!": NOT
57. Author Hoag: TAMI. Saw her name mentioned in blog Comments section a few times.
58. Provide armed forces for: MILITARIZE
60. Enclosed in: AMID
61. Weather station gadget: ANEMOMETER. Wind-speed measuring instrument. Anemo is a prefix for "wind".
62. Related business products: LINE
Down:
1. Like neon: GASEOUS. Or INERT.
2. Polyurethane compound: ANILINE. Used in dyes. I only know ANIL, which is clued as "Indigo dye source" sometimes.
3. Arrives at last: ROLLS IN. Can you make a sentence for me?
4. Word on a candy heart: LUV. Timely. With the Valentine's Day tomorrow. I LUV U!
5. Turner and others: IKES
6. Proofreader's mark: CARET. ^
7. Moon Unit, to Dweezil: SISTER. Both Frank Zappa's kids. Very strange names.
8. Radio part: AM TUNER
9. Is dramatically revealed to, with "at": LEAPS OUT
10. To the point: TERSE
11. Opinion page perspective: EDITORIAL WE. Shouldn't it be "Opinion page pronoun"? "Perspective" is asking for a "view", no?
12. Foster title girl: SUSANNA. I am totally confused by the clue. Does it refer to this Susana Foster? Why "title girl" in the clue? (Updated later: The title girl refers to the song "Oh! Susanna" by Stephen Foster. Thanks, Al!)
14. Rutherford's predecessor: ULYSSES (Grant)
23. Disneyland's Matterhorn, once: E TICKET RIDE. I peeked at the cheat sheet.
25. Fronton gear: CESTAS. The jai alai on his right hand. Fronton is an arena for jai alai. New to me.
Total blocks: 25
Total words: 66
This grid looks so clean, with no cheater/helper square. Only 25 black squares, the fewest I've seen in a LAT puzzle. The word count is quite low too.
Some of entries are quite fresh, and I love the clever use of "er" in the below clues:
13D. Old rubber?: ALADDIN. Rubber, one who rubs. When Aladdin rubs his oil lamp and magic appears.
38D. Art that requires a folder: ORIGAMI. Folder, one who folds. Not the portfolio folder.
But too many ER suffixes in grid answers:
53A. New __: AGER
63A. Wooers, perhaps: SERENADERS
40. Flautist: TOOTLER
43D. Slumber party?: SNOOZER. Party here means "participant". Great clue.
44D. R&D employees: TESTERS. Clue is asking for an abbreviated answer.
Tough slog today. Totally out of sync with this constructor Mark Diehl. We definitely do not speak the same language. Troubles everywhere.
Across:
1. Blended condiment: GARLIC SALT. Awesome answer.
11. Tricked twin: ESAU. He was tricked into selling his birthright to his brother Jacob. For some lentil soup.
15. She received a Best Actress nomination for "A Man and a Woman": ANOUK AIMEE. Always nice to have a full name. We often see AIMEE clued as "French Actress".
16. Not sharp: DULL
17. 2005 award for Leigh Ann Hester, the first woman to win it since WWII: SILVER STAR. I've never heard of Leigh Ann Hester, who was awarded the star for her heroic actions in Iraq War. Dennis has a Purple Heart.
18. "My word!": I SAY
19. Corner piece: ELL
20. Blind dates, e.g.: SETUPS
21. Youngsters: TADS. Learned this "youngster" meaning last time it appeared in the grid.
22. Auvers-sur-__, where van Gogh spent his final days: OISE. A commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris. Stumper. I only knew he did not die in Arles.
24. Prompter's cue: TEN SECONDS. Cool answer.
26. Common front: UNITY
28. Royale or Flying Cloud: REO. Wikipedia says REO's two most memorable cars were its Reo Flying Cloud introduced in 1927 and the Reo Royale 8 of 1931.
29. Bushmiller who created the comic "Nancy": ERNIE. Nope. He's not in my memory bank.
30. Campus big shot, often: SENIOR. BMOC (Big Man On Campus) used to befuddle me.
32. Finns' neighbors: RUSSIANS. Too many space for my first reaction: SWEDES.
34. Take into custody, in a way: CUFF
36. "Toodles!": TATA. Wikipedia says "Toodles!" is a shortened, more casual version of the French expression à tout à l'heure (Anglicized as "toodle-oo"), meaning "goodbye". I am surprised I've never heard of it before.
37. Bikini feature in a 1960 hit: POLKA DOT. "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini".
41. NASDAQ neighborhood: WALL ST. So simple in retrospect.
45. Dizzy: AREEL. Or A-REEL like A-LOP, Argyle?
46. Napoléon or Yves, e.g.: NOM. Both French given names.
48. Despicable sort: SWINE
49. Parts of feet: LITTLE TOES. Came to me with difficulty.
52. Deal busters, at times: EGOS. True.
54. Magic 8 Ball maker: MATTEL. Have yet to see HASBRO in a LAT puzzle.
56. "Joking!": NOT
57. Author Hoag: TAMI. Saw her name mentioned in blog Comments section a few times.
58. Provide armed forces for: MILITARIZE
60. Enclosed in: AMID
61. Weather station gadget: ANEMOMETER. Wind-speed measuring instrument. Anemo is a prefix for "wind".
62. Related business products: LINE
Down:
1. Like neon: GASEOUS. Or INERT.
2. Polyurethane compound: ANILINE. Used in dyes. I only know ANIL, which is clued as "Indigo dye source" sometimes.
3. Arrives at last: ROLLS IN. Can you make a sentence for me?
4. Word on a candy heart: LUV. Timely. With the Valentine's Day tomorrow. I LUV U!
5. Turner and others: IKES
6. Proofreader's mark: CARET. ^
7. Moon Unit, to Dweezil: SISTER. Both Frank Zappa's kids. Very strange names.
8. Radio part: AM TUNER
9. Is dramatically revealed to, with "at": LEAPS OUT
10. To the point: TERSE
11. Opinion page perspective: EDITORIAL WE. Shouldn't it be "Opinion page pronoun"? "Perspective" is asking for a "view", no?
12. Foster title girl: SUSANNA. I am totally confused by the clue. Does it refer to this Susana Foster? Why "title girl" in the clue? (Updated later: The title girl refers to the song "Oh! Susanna" by Stephen Foster. Thanks, Al!)
14. Rutherford's predecessor: ULYSSES (Grant)
23. Disneyland's Matterhorn, once: E TICKET RIDE. I peeked at the cheat sheet.
25. Fronton gear: CESTAS. The jai alai on his right hand. Fronton is an arena for jai alai. New to me.
27. Southern address: YOU-ALL.
31. Rural mail letters: RFD (Rural Free Delivery)
33. Took in: SAW
35. "Suspicion" Oscar winner, 1941: FONTAINE (Joan). Sister of Olivia de Havilland. Both still alive.
37. Like some consonants, as the nasal "n": PALATAL
39. McCartney hit about his relatives: LET 'EM IN. Here is the clip. Doesn't ring a bell.
42. Soft coal: LIGNITE. Another new word. Lign(i) a prefix for "wood".
47. Period of self-indulgence: ME TIME
50. Samms and Lazarus: EMMAS
51. Not likely to be talked out of: SET ON. Obtained the answer from crosses. I don't like two SETs in one grid. See also 20A.
55. High holy man?: LAMA. Lamas live in Tibet, the highest region on earth, hence "High" in the clue?
59. Elmo's color: RED
31. Rural mail letters: RFD (Rural Free Delivery)
33. Took in: SAW
35. "Suspicion" Oscar winner, 1941: FONTAINE (Joan). Sister of Olivia de Havilland. Both still alive.
37. Like some consonants, as the nasal "n": PALATAL
39. McCartney hit about his relatives: LET 'EM IN. Here is the clip. Doesn't ring a bell.
42. Soft coal: LIGNITE. Another new word. Lign(i) a prefix for "wood".
47. Period of self-indulgence: ME TIME
50. Samms and Lazarus: EMMAS
51. Not likely to be talked out of: SET ON. Obtained the answer from crosses. I don't like two SETs in one grid. See also 20A.
55. High holy man?: LAMA. Lamas live in Tibet, the highest region on earth, hence "High" in the clue?
59. Elmo's color: RED
