Theme: None
Total words: 66
Total blocks: 35
The empty grid is cornered like a picture frame, very pretty design. Tragically, I ruined the whole puzzle. My finished grid looks like the Hindenburg crashing into the Titanic. Total disaster.
The three odd-numbered stacks of entertainment clue/entries atop the puzzle challenged me immensely. The lower NAKED AS A JAYBIRD (46. Without anything on) is a just fantastic fill. I wonder where the saying comes from, Al?
Tricky clues abound. My favorite is EX-CON (16. Record holder?). Fell to the trap of thinking about the normal contest record rather than the intended criminal record.
Are you surprised that the constructor is a teenager from Canada?
Across:
1. "The West Wing" creator: AARON SORKIN. Stumped immediately. Can you handle the truth? Wikipedia says he also wrote "A Few Good Men".
12. 1947 Oscar winner for Best Original Song: ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH. I was clueless. Awesome entry though.
14 1988 Michelle Pfeiffer comedy: MARRIED TO THE MOB. Here is the poster. Looks fun.
17. Battery alternative: FUEL CELL. No idea. Dictionary defines it as "a device that produces a continuous electric current directly from the oxidation of a fuel, as that of hydrogen by oxygen".
18. Neural transmitter: AXON. Your impulse transmitter.
19. Cat murmurs: PURRS. Impulsively penned in MEOWS.
21. Charmer who "walks like a woman and talks like a man, " in a 1970 hit: LOLA. Hit from the The Kinks about a transvestite.
22. John of London: LOO. The toilet "john".
23. Old postal divisions: ZONES
24. Pachelbel work: CANON. Johann Pachelbel was a German composer famous for his "Pachelbel's Canon". Learning moment for me.
25. Oct 1975 NBC debut: SNL
26. Cost to get in on the deal: ANTE. Poker.
27. Cunning: SHREWD
28. First queen of Carthage: DIDO. She founded Carthage. Killed herself when abandoned by the Trojan hero Aeneas. Love is _ ?
29. For whom the bell tolls: THEE. "... for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee". Terrific clue.
30. Catkin bearers: ALDERS
33. Fast-growing pet: CHIA
34. Half of CDX: CCV. 1/410=205.
37. Ad preceder: DEUCE. Tennis score. Ad in/out follows deuce.
38. Frighten: DAUNT
39. Last word of Shelley's "Adonais": ARE. Man, who knows?! The last lines are :"... The soul of Adonais, like a star/Beacons from the abode where the Eternal are". "Adonais" Shelley's elegy for John Keats.
40. Amplify: MIKE. Did not know mike can be a verb.
41. Smart-mouthed: SASSY
42. Silly rabbit's desire, in ads: TRIX
43. Campus figure: ACADEMIC. Did Will's clues strike you as academic?
45. One in a class by herself?: TUTEE. Nice clue too. But why "herself" instead of "himself"?
49. Most buses: SINGLE DECKERS. Lots of double deckers in Guangzhou/Xi'An.
50. '80s NBC medical drama: ST. ELSEWHERE. Have never heard of this drama. What's your favorite Denzel Washington movie?
Down:
1. Use a fan on: AIR-COOL
2. Kitchen protector: APRON
3. Delay cause, maybe: RAIN
4. Dedicated work: ODE. Ah, Lemonade!
5. Neighbor of Homer: NED. Homer Simpson's neighbor.
6. Emancipated: SET FREE. Tricky "set" tense.
7. Sussex scents: ODOURS. British spelling of "odors". Sussex is picked for alliteration purpose.
8. Dull drills: ROTES
9. Cleopatra's eyeliners: KOHL. This stumped many last time it appeared in our puzzle.
10. "My stars!": I DECLARE. Both are quaint cries of surprise, aren't they?
11. "Give me a for-instance": NAME ONE
12. Fighter craft game released by Sega in 1982: ZAXXON. No idea. What does Zaxxon stand for?
13. empty: HOLLOW
14. Board: MEALS. Room and board.
15. Hardly spicy: BLAND
19. Koi habitats: PONDS
20. Golden rule word: UNTO
23. Site of the 1974 fight known as "The Rumble in the Jungle": ZAIRE. Where Ali beat Foreman.
24. Play badly: CHEAT. Wanted EMOTE.
27. Newly polished: SHINY
28. Will writer, at a will reading: DECEDENT. Hmmm, nice "Will" clue, Will, way to go!
29. Consequently: THUS
30. Pro pitcher?: AD MAN. Got me again.
31. Pioneer 35mm cameras: LEICAS
32. Loser to Bush in 1988: DUKAKIS (Michael). Two Ks. This puzzle is quite scrabbly, with two Z's, three Xs. Only one Q away from a pangram.
33. Cataract: CASCADE
34. Bridgestone product: CAR TIRE
35. Old yellers: CRIERS. Who did not think of the the movie "Old Yeller"?
36. In a snit: VEXED
38. Places for roasters and toasters?: DAISES. Nice rhyme.
41. Picayune: SMALL
42. Yam, for one: TUBER. How do you normally prepare your yam?
44. Competitive advantage: EDGE
45. Trike rider: TYKE
47. Saul or Solomon: JEW. Saul is the first king of Israel. Are Jewish people offended by the word Jew? It has a negative tone to my goyish ear.
48. "Oh!" to Ohm: ACH. The best ACH clue I've seen.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 66
Total blocks: 35
The empty grid is cornered like a picture frame, very pretty design. Tragically, I ruined the whole puzzle. My finished grid looks like the Hindenburg crashing into the Titanic. Total disaster.
The three odd-numbered stacks of entertainment clue/entries atop the puzzle challenged me immensely. The lower NAKED AS A JAYBIRD (46. Without anything on) is a just fantastic fill. I wonder where the saying comes from, Al?
Tricky clues abound. My favorite is EX-CON (16. Record holder?). Fell to the trap of thinking about the normal contest record rather than the intended criminal record.
Are you surprised that the constructor is a teenager from Canada?
Across:
1. "The West Wing" creator: AARON SORKIN. Stumped immediately. Can you handle the truth? Wikipedia says he also wrote "A Few Good Men".
12. 1947 Oscar winner for Best Original Song: ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH. I was clueless. Awesome entry though.
14 1988 Michelle Pfeiffer comedy: MARRIED TO THE MOB. Here is the poster. Looks fun.
17. Battery alternative: FUEL CELL. No idea. Dictionary defines it as "a device that produces a continuous electric current directly from the oxidation of a fuel, as that of hydrogen by oxygen".
18. Neural transmitter: AXON. Your impulse transmitter.
19. Cat murmurs: PURRS. Impulsively penned in MEOWS.
21. Charmer who "walks like a woman and talks like a man, " in a 1970 hit: LOLA. Hit from the The Kinks about a transvestite.
22. John of London: LOO. The toilet "john".
23. Old postal divisions: ZONES
24. Pachelbel work: CANON. Johann Pachelbel was a German composer famous for his "Pachelbel's Canon". Learning moment for me.
25. Oct 1975 NBC debut: SNL
26. Cost to get in on the deal: ANTE. Poker.
27. Cunning: SHREWD
28. First queen of Carthage: DIDO. She founded Carthage. Killed herself when abandoned by the Trojan hero Aeneas. Love is _ ?
29. For whom the bell tolls: THEE. "... for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee". Terrific clue.
30. Catkin bearers: ALDERS
33. Fast-growing pet: CHIA
34. Half of CDX: CCV. 1/410=205.
37. Ad preceder: DEUCE. Tennis score. Ad in/out follows deuce.
38. Frighten: DAUNT
39. Last word of Shelley's "Adonais": ARE. Man, who knows?! The last lines are :"... The soul of Adonais, like a star/Beacons from the abode where the Eternal are". "Adonais" Shelley's elegy for John Keats.
40. Amplify: MIKE. Did not know mike can be a verb.
41. Smart-mouthed: SASSY
42. Silly rabbit's desire, in ads: TRIX
43. Campus figure: ACADEMIC. Did Will's clues strike you as academic?
45. One in a class by herself?: TUTEE. Nice clue too. But why "herself" instead of "himself"?
49. Most buses: SINGLE DECKERS. Lots of double deckers in Guangzhou/Xi'An.
50. '80s NBC medical drama: ST. ELSEWHERE. Have never heard of this drama. What's your favorite Denzel Washington movie?
Down:
1. Use a fan on: AIR-COOL
2. Kitchen protector: APRON
3. Delay cause, maybe: RAIN
4. Dedicated work: ODE. Ah, Lemonade!
5. Neighbor of Homer: NED. Homer Simpson's neighbor.
6. Emancipated: SET FREE. Tricky "set" tense.
7. Sussex scents: ODOURS. British spelling of "odors". Sussex is picked for alliteration purpose.
8. Dull drills: ROTES
9. Cleopatra's eyeliners: KOHL. This stumped many last time it appeared in our puzzle.
10. "My stars!": I DECLARE. Both are quaint cries of surprise, aren't they?
11. "Give me a for-instance": NAME ONE
12. Fighter craft game released by Sega in 1982: ZAXXON. No idea. What does Zaxxon stand for?
13. empty: HOLLOW
14. Board: MEALS. Room and board.
15. Hardly spicy: BLAND
19. Koi habitats: PONDS
20. Golden rule word: UNTO
23. Site of the 1974 fight known as "The Rumble in the Jungle": ZAIRE. Where Ali beat Foreman.
24. Play badly: CHEAT. Wanted EMOTE.
27. Newly polished: SHINY
28. Will writer, at a will reading: DECEDENT. Hmmm, nice "Will" clue, Will, way to go!
29. Consequently: THUS
30. Pro pitcher?: AD MAN. Got me again.
31. Pioneer 35mm cameras: LEICAS
32. Loser to Bush in 1988: DUKAKIS (Michael). Two Ks. This puzzle is quite scrabbly, with two Z's, three Xs. Only one Q away from a pangram.
33. Cataract: CASCADE
34. Bridgestone product: CAR TIRE
35. Old yellers: CRIERS. Who did not think of the the movie "Old Yeller"?
36. In a snit: VEXED
38. Places for roasters and toasters?: DAISES. Nice rhyme.
41. Picayune: SMALL
42. Yam, for one: TUBER. How do you normally prepare your yam?
44. Competitive advantage: EDGE
45. Trike rider: TYKE
47. Saul or Solomon: JEW. Saul is the first king of Israel. Are Jewish people offended by the word Jew? It has a negative tone to my goyish ear.
48. "Oh!" to Ohm: ACH. The best ACH clue I've seen.
Answer grid.
C.C.
