Theme: None
Total words: 66
Total blocks: 26
Lower word/block count than our normal Saturday puzzles.
The puzzle is anchored by two grid-spanning 15-letter entries that cross each other right in the middle of the grid:
32A. Text necessity, often: TELEPHONE NUMBER. We also have SCREEN (56A. Listen to before answering).
8D. "The King and I" song about illicit romance: WE KISS IN A SHADOW. Gimme for Clear Ayes, perhaps. I am not familiar with the song at all.
Quite a few tricky clues in this puzzle. I nailed some, and was stumped by some.
Across:
1. Act in the Senate: PASS A LAW. PASS LAWS sounds a better answer to me.
9. Trees yielding beans: CACAOS. Cacao beans. Source of cocoa, chocolate.
15. Pride's prey: ANTELOPE. Lion's prey. Alliteration.
16. Friend of Pete Fountain: AL HIRT. Full name in the clue, full name in the answer. Wikipedia confirmed that they were indeed buddies, both grew up in New Orleans. Mr. Rosen mentioned in the interview that he's a jazz keyboardist.
17. TV show that has spawned 11 movies: STAR TREK. Nice intersecting with ANTENNAE (2. Features of some alien costumes).
18. C&W singer Morgan: LORRIE. No idea. She looks pretty.
19. Mega- squared: TERA. Prefix for "trillion". Mega is prefix for "million". Giga "billion". Stumped me.
20. Fire department practice structure: DRILL TOWER. Was unaware of this special term.
22. Like Dvorák's Symphony No. 8: IN G. The gimme crossing 3D made the G part easily obtainable for me today.
23. Palace overseas: ELYSEE. Elysée Palace, the French "White House".
24. "Buddenbrooks" Nobel Prize winner: MANN (Thomas). Have never heard of the book.
25. Zip: ENERGY
27. Unlike a good excuse: SAD
28. Artist who rejuvenated his career with 1960s serigraphs: ERTE. Stymied me. Just learned that Erte died in 1990 when he was 97 years old.
29. Not fresh, in a way: SALTY. OK, in a way.
30. Municipal: CIVIC
38. "__ Bulba": 1962 epic: TARAS
39. Held up: BORNE. Epitomized the trickiness of today's clues.
40. Simple stuff: ABCS. Alliteration.
44. Sound from a wok: SSS
45. Abdicate: RESIGN
46. Certain sausage, for short: BRAT
47. Execute, in old France: BEHEAD. The clue seems to be asking for guillotine, isn't it? Beheading was a common practice in old China too.
49. "__ me ae spark o' Nature's fire": Burns: GIE. For "give", I suppose.
50. Alloys' principal components: BASE METALS
52. Former NBA star Dave __, now mayor of Detroit: BING. And CHROME (11D. Trim in Detroit). Car trim. I liked the Detroit clue echo. Both clues got me.
53. Menu choice: ENTREE
54. Involuntary exile: DEPORTEE
57. Bath unit?: ONE METER. Bath is the city in England. They used meter there. I don't like the addition of ONE.
58. Photographs: SHOOTS. Verb/noun.
59. Singing birds: WARBLERS
Down:
1. Most ashen: PASTIEST
3. 1979 N.L. co-MVP Willie: STARGELL. Gimme for me. Willie Stargell spent his entire career with the Pirates. Hall-of-Famer.
4. Word sung by Day: SERA. "Que Sera, Sera".
5. Letters on a PC key: ALT
6. Grand and noble: LORDLY
7. Copycat's activity: APERY
9. Joined a talk show, perhaps: CALLED IN. Nice clue/answer.
10. Bushels: A LOT
12. High-flying action: AIR WAR
13. Familiarize: ORIENT
14. "Tristram Shandy" author Laurence: STERNE. Someone mentioned this book on the blog before. Clear Ayes? Lemonade?
21. Fall collection?: LEAVES. Nailed it.
23. "Aida" setting: EGYPT
26. MapQuest.com abbr.: RTE
30. Curve enhancer: CORSET. Some girls just have incredible body.
31. Like kabobs: CUBED
33. Over-the-hill gang?: HAS-BEENS
34. Wks. on end: MOS (Months)
35. Nielsen of "Rocky IV": BRIGITTE. I peeked at the answer sheet. Her face looks very familiar.
36. Driver who's on track?: ENGINEER. Railroad track.
37. Promise breakers: RENEGERS
40. Big sister?: ABBESS. I suppose SUPERIOR can be clued this way too?
41. Bank outlet: BRANCH
42. Big name in convertible sofas: CASTRO. Man, who knows?!
43. Sound buy?: STEREO. So simple in retrospect.
45. Gravelly voiced speaker: RASPER. I wanted BRANDO.
48. Dementieva of women's tennis: ELENA. The answer emerged itself.
51. Intersect: MEET
52. Belgian composer Jacques: BREL. Belgian's most famous musician.
55. White House fiscal planning gp: OMB (Office of Management and Budget). New abbreviation to me.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 66
Total blocks: 26
Lower word/block count than our normal Saturday puzzles.
The puzzle is anchored by two grid-spanning 15-letter entries that cross each other right in the middle of the grid:
32A. Text necessity, often: TELEPHONE NUMBER. We also have SCREEN (56A. Listen to before answering).
8D. "The King and I" song about illicit romance: WE KISS IN A SHADOW. Gimme for Clear Ayes, perhaps. I am not familiar with the song at all.
Quite a few tricky clues in this puzzle. I nailed some, and was stumped by some.
Across:
1. Act in the Senate: PASS A LAW. PASS LAWS sounds a better answer to me.
9. Trees yielding beans: CACAOS. Cacao beans. Source of cocoa, chocolate.
15. Pride's prey: ANTELOPE. Lion's prey. Alliteration.
16. Friend of Pete Fountain: AL HIRT. Full name in the clue, full name in the answer. Wikipedia confirmed that they were indeed buddies, both grew up in New Orleans. Mr. Rosen mentioned in the interview that he's a jazz keyboardist.
17. TV show that has spawned 11 movies: STAR TREK. Nice intersecting with ANTENNAE (2. Features of some alien costumes).
18. C&W singer Morgan: LORRIE. No idea. She looks pretty.
19. Mega- squared: TERA. Prefix for "trillion". Mega is prefix for "million". Giga "billion". Stumped me.
20. Fire department practice structure: DRILL TOWER. Was unaware of this special term.
22. Like Dvorák's Symphony No. 8: IN G. The gimme crossing 3D made the G part easily obtainable for me today.
23. Palace overseas: ELYSEE. Elysée Palace, the French "White House".
24. "Buddenbrooks" Nobel Prize winner: MANN (Thomas). Have never heard of the book.
25. Zip: ENERGY
27. Unlike a good excuse: SAD
28. Artist who rejuvenated his career with 1960s serigraphs: ERTE. Stymied me. Just learned that Erte died in 1990 when he was 97 years old.
29. Not fresh, in a way: SALTY. OK, in a way.
30. Municipal: CIVIC
38. "__ Bulba": 1962 epic: TARAS
39. Held up: BORNE. Epitomized the trickiness of today's clues.
40. Simple stuff: ABCS. Alliteration.
44. Sound from a wok: SSS
45. Abdicate: RESIGN
46. Certain sausage, for short: BRAT
47. Execute, in old France: BEHEAD. The clue seems to be asking for guillotine, isn't it? Beheading was a common practice in old China too.
49. "__ me ae spark o' Nature's fire": Burns: GIE. For "give", I suppose.
50. Alloys' principal components: BASE METALS
52. Former NBA star Dave __, now mayor of Detroit: BING. And CHROME (11D. Trim in Detroit). Car trim. I liked the Detroit clue echo. Both clues got me.
53. Menu choice: ENTREE
54. Involuntary exile: DEPORTEE
57. Bath unit?: ONE METER. Bath is the city in England. They used meter there. I don't like the addition of ONE.
58. Photographs: SHOOTS. Verb/noun.
59. Singing birds: WARBLERS
Down:
1. Most ashen: PASTIEST
3. 1979 N.L. co-MVP Willie: STARGELL. Gimme for me. Willie Stargell spent his entire career with the Pirates. Hall-of-Famer.
4. Word sung by Day: SERA. "Que Sera, Sera".
5. Letters on a PC key: ALT
6. Grand and noble: LORDLY
7. Copycat's activity: APERY
9. Joined a talk show, perhaps: CALLED IN. Nice clue/answer.
10. Bushels: A LOT
12. High-flying action: AIR WAR
13. Familiarize: ORIENT
14. "Tristram Shandy" author Laurence: STERNE. Someone mentioned this book on the blog before. Clear Ayes? Lemonade?
21. Fall collection?: LEAVES. Nailed it.
23. "Aida" setting: EGYPT
26. MapQuest.com abbr.: RTE
30. Curve enhancer: CORSET. Some girls just have incredible body.
31. Like kabobs: CUBED
33. Over-the-hill gang?: HAS-BEENS
34. Wks. on end: MOS (Months)
35. Nielsen of "Rocky IV": BRIGITTE. I peeked at the answer sheet. Her face looks very familiar.
36. Driver who's on track?: ENGINEER. Railroad track.
37. Promise breakers: RENEGERS
40. Big sister?: ABBESS. I suppose SUPERIOR can be clued this way too?
41. Bank outlet: BRANCH
42. Big name in convertible sofas: CASTRO. Man, who knows?!
43. Sound buy?: STEREO. So simple in retrospect.
45. Gravelly voiced speaker: RASPER. I wanted BRANDO.
48. Dementieva of women's tennis: ELENA. The answer emerged itself.
51. Intersect: MEET
52. Belgian composer Jacques: BREL. Belgian's most famous musician.
55. White House fiscal planning gp: OMB (Office of Management and Budget). New abbreviation to me.
Answer grid.
C.C.
