Theme: Drop Down Menu - The word FALL (57D: Drop down, and apt word that can follow the last words of 4-, 8-, 15- and 28-Down) can be added to the last word of each descending theme entry to form a common word.
4D: "Cutting to the chase ...": "...LONG STORY SHORT". SHORTFALL. Not meeting expectations.
8D: "The Price Is Right" signature phrase: "...COME ON DOWN". The phrase comes from the TV game show where guessing the wrong price is a contestant's DOWNFALL. A regretable DOWN/down (57D clue) duplication.
15D: Going nowhere: DEAD IN THE WATER. You're going to go somewhere if you go over a WATERFALL.
28D: Like here-today-gone-tomorrow businesses: FLY BY NIGHT. They might FLY(flee) under the darkness of NIGHTFALL
Argyle here.
I hope this is a taste of what is to come this week. Sweet! It is a different look with all the themes dropping down. Very vivid FALL visual.
I considered EDEN (12D: Notable 57-Down site) a cross-referenced bonus, even though it's symmetrically placed opposite FALL in the grid. I am somewhat vertically challenged at recognizing down words but had no trouble today.
We last saw our constructor on Friday July 3, 2009. I wouldn't mind seeing more of his work. Only 8 three letter entries...and how about that THWACK? Not much to comment on so I linked a few songs. Enjoy!
Across:
1A: Word-of-mouth: ORAL.
5A: Plastic clog footwear brand: CROCS. Do they make boots?
10A: Before: Pref.: PRE.
13A: Quash, as a bill: VETO.
14A: Fathered: BEGOT.
15A: Monopoly card with a mortgage value: DEED.
16A: Mary Kay rival: AVON.
17A: Alabama march city: SELMA.
18A: Sea eagle: ERNE.
19A: Breathing organs: LUNGS.
21A: Finely sharpened: KEEN. We have seen a second meaning related to a wailing lament.
22A: Long, long time: AEON.
23A: Playground piece that has its ups and downs: SEESAW. Another down duplication.
25A: Caught 40 winks: DOZED.
27A: Relieved end-of-the-week cry: TGIF.
29A: Country west of Botswana: NAMIBIA. And 68A: Ivory Coast neighbor: GHANA. Both are on the west coast of Africa.
33A: Jackson 5 brother: TITO. TITO today.
36A: Musher's transport: SLED. (Dogsled)
38A: Traffic tangle: SNARL.
39A: Cold War empire: Abbr.: USSR.
40A: Compulsive fire starters, informally: PYROS. (Pyromaniacs)
42A: Lobster catcher: TRAP.
43A: Has (an audience) rolling in the aisles: SLAYS.
45A: Wail: BAWL.
46A: Coop group: HENS.
47A: Provider of kisses?: HERSHEY. Um,m,m,m
49A: Cyrano had a big one: NOSE.
51A: Reddish-orange dye: HENNA.
53A: Hit with a paddle: THWACK. Five consonants!
57A: Stereotypical dog name: FIDO.
60A: __ the lily: overembellish: GILD. Shakespeare wrote: “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily," but the years have cut out the middle, leaving just "to gild the lily".
62A: International Court of Justice site, with "The": HAGUE.
63A: Allege as fact: AVER.
64A: Radiant: AGLOW.
66A: Word after duct or ticker: TAPE.
67A: Time for fasting: LENT.
69A: Bad to the bone: EVIL. George. "He's bad, but he's not EVIL."
70A: D-Day craft: LST. Landing Ship, Tank (LST).
71A: Early anesthetic: ETHER.
72A: Cincinnati team: REDS. (Baseball)
Down:
1D: Egg shapes: OVALS.
2D: Variety show: REVUE.
3D: Make amends (for): ATONE.
5D: "The Amazing Race" network: CBS.
6D: Smell really bad: REEK.
7D: Leered at: OGLED.
9D: Poem part: STANZA.
10D: Pierre's pop: PÉRE. Alliteration again.
11D: "The Biggest Little City in the World": RENO. And 41D: 11-Down machine: SLOT.
20D: Drop in the middle: SAG.
24D: Thin smoke trail: WISP.
26D: There are three in "mommy": EMS.
30D: In the buff: BARE.
31D: Shah's land, once: IRAN.
32D: Swiss peaks: ALPS.
33D: Buttocks, in slang: TUSH. ZZ Top
34D: Bermuda, e.g.: ISLE.
35D: Old Russian despot: TSAR.
37D: Pitching stat: ERA.
44D: Ship, to its captain: SHE.
48D: Interlock, as gears: ENGAGE.
50D: "Quiet!": "SHH!".
52D: Koran deity: ALLAH.
54D: Tequila source: AGAVE.
55D: Deity with a bow and arrow: CUPID.
56D: Topples (over): KEELS.
58D: Singer Burl: IVES.
61D: Finished: DONE.
65D: Original Cabinet department renamed Defense in 1949: WAR.
Answer grid.
Argyle
4D: "Cutting to the chase ...": "...LONG STORY SHORT". SHORTFALL. Not meeting expectations.
8D: "The Price Is Right" signature phrase: "...COME ON DOWN". The phrase comes from the TV game show where guessing the wrong price is a contestant's DOWNFALL. A regretable DOWN/down (57D clue) duplication.
15D: Going nowhere: DEAD IN THE WATER. You're going to go somewhere if you go over a WATERFALL.
28D: Like here-today-gone-tomorrow businesses: FLY BY NIGHT. They might FLY(flee) under the darkness of NIGHTFALL
Argyle here.
I hope this is a taste of what is to come this week. Sweet! It is a different look with all the themes dropping down. Very vivid FALL visual.
I considered EDEN (12D: Notable 57-Down site) a cross-referenced bonus, even though it's symmetrically placed opposite FALL in the grid. I am somewhat vertically challenged at recognizing down words but had no trouble today.
We last saw our constructor on Friday July 3, 2009. I wouldn't mind seeing more of his work. Only 8 three letter entries...and how about that THWACK? Not much to comment on so I linked a few songs. Enjoy!
Across:
1A: Word-of-mouth: ORAL.
5A: Plastic clog footwear brand: CROCS. Do they make boots?
10A: Before: Pref.: PRE.
13A: Quash, as a bill: VETO.
14A: Fathered: BEGOT.
15A: Monopoly card with a mortgage value: DEED.
16A: Mary Kay rival: AVON.
17A: Alabama march city: SELMA.
18A: Sea eagle: ERNE.
19A: Breathing organs: LUNGS.
21A: Finely sharpened: KEEN. We have seen a second meaning related to a wailing lament.
22A: Long, long time: AEON.
23A: Playground piece that has its ups and downs: SEESAW. Another down duplication.
25A: Caught 40 winks: DOZED.
27A: Relieved end-of-the-week cry: TGIF.
29A: Country west of Botswana: NAMIBIA. And 68A: Ivory Coast neighbor: GHANA. Both are on the west coast of Africa.
33A: Jackson 5 brother: TITO. TITO today.
36A: Musher's transport: SLED. (Dogsled)
38A: Traffic tangle: SNARL.
39A: Cold War empire: Abbr.: USSR.
40A: Compulsive fire starters, informally: PYROS. (Pyromaniacs)
42A: Lobster catcher: TRAP.
43A: Has (an audience) rolling in the aisles: SLAYS.
45A: Wail: BAWL.
46A: Coop group: HENS.
47A: Provider of kisses?: HERSHEY. Um,m,m,m
49A: Cyrano had a big one: NOSE.
51A: Reddish-orange dye: HENNA.
53A: Hit with a paddle: THWACK. Five consonants!
57A: Stereotypical dog name: FIDO.
60A: __ the lily: overembellish: GILD. Shakespeare wrote: “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily," but the years have cut out the middle, leaving just "to gild the lily".
62A: International Court of Justice site, with "The": HAGUE.
63A: Allege as fact: AVER.
64A: Radiant: AGLOW.
66A: Word after duct or ticker: TAPE.
67A: Time for fasting: LENT.
69A: Bad to the bone: EVIL. George. "He's bad, but he's not EVIL."
70A: D-Day craft: LST. Landing Ship, Tank (LST).
71A: Early anesthetic: ETHER.
72A: Cincinnati team: REDS. (Baseball)
Down:
1D: Egg shapes: OVALS.
2D: Variety show: REVUE.
3D: Make amends (for): ATONE.
5D: "The Amazing Race" network: CBS.
6D: Smell really bad: REEK.
7D: Leered at: OGLED.
9D: Poem part: STANZA.
10D: Pierre's pop: PÉRE. Alliteration again.
11D: "The Biggest Little City in the World": RENO. And 41D: 11-Down machine: SLOT.
20D: Drop in the middle: SAG.
24D: Thin smoke trail: WISP.
26D: There are three in "mommy": EMS.
30D: In the buff: BARE.
31D: Shah's land, once: IRAN.
32D: Swiss peaks: ALPS.
33D: Buttocks, in slang: TUSH. ZZ Top
34D: Bermuda, e.g.: ISLE.
35D: Old Russian despot: TSAR.
37D: Pitching stat: ERA.
44D: Ship, to its captain: SHE.
48D: Interlock, as gears: ENGAGE.
50D: "Quiet!": "SHH!".
52D: Koran deity: ALLAH.
54D: Tequila source: AGAVE.
55D: Deity with a bow and arrow: CUPID.
56D: Topples (over): KEELS.
58D: Singer Burl: IVES.
61D: Finished: DONE.
65D: Original Cabinet department renamed Defense in 1949: WAR.
Answer grid.
Argyle
