Theme: H(ead) Off - The H sound of the first word of a familiar phrase is dropped. The resulting phrases are gridded in their A, E, I, O, U vowel-starting order.
20A. Works in Satan's Museum?: ART OF DARKNESS. "Heart of Darkness". Joseph Conrad novel.
27A. "Tell Senator Bayh to take a number"?: EVAN CAN WAIT. "Heaven Can Wait". The Warren Beatty movie? Evan Bayh, Senator from Indiana.
38A. Egotism?: I ESTEEM. High Esteem. I was confused by the IE combination at first.
47A. Resistance quashers?: OHM WRECKERS. Home Wreckers. We often see OHM clued as "Resistance unit".
55A. Evidence of a love-hate relationship? UGHS AND KISSES. Hugs and Kisses. I don't get the UGHS here. Why? I love the other four question-marked clues. Very entertaining.
I like the orderly vowel progression in the H-off phrases. Neat! The sound-dropping scheme is very Dan Naddor-like. No single black square in this grid. Mostly 3-block clusters.
Several fun clues. My favorite "ones" are:
36A. One objecting to a called strike: SCAB. Of course I was picturing baseball players.
50D. One carrying a bag: CADDIE. Golf. I wanted PORTER.
Across:
1. Willy Loman's favorite son: BIFF. From Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman". Immediate stumper for me.
5. Clothes lines: SEAMS
10. Sweet Sixteen initials: NCAA. And UCLA (55D. The Bruins of the 10-Across).
14. Like some history: ORAL
15. Ballade's closing stanza: ENVOI. Or ENVOY. The poetic coda. We had this clue before.
16. Aloe, for one: BALM. Nice to see ALOE as a clue.
17. Fictional princess: XENA. Did you want AIDA also, Hahtool?
18. Pretense: GUISE
19. First Nations tribe: CREE
23. More felicitous: APTER
25. "Dies __": IRAE. Day of Wrath. We also have IRE (2D. More than annoyance). Same Latin root.
26. Hugh Capet, par exemple: ROI. Have never heard of this dude. He reigned France from 987 to 996.
34. List of chaps.: TOC. Man, it's Table of Contents. Who knows?
35. Amarone or Barolo: VINO
37. Where, to Brutus: UBI. Well, maybe Bob knows it. I've got no idea.
42. __ Friday's: restaurant: TGI
43. Tabula __ : RASA. Several Latin references today.
45. Cousin of hibiscus: OKRA. Really? One is flower, one is veggie, and they are cousins? Maybe Warren will find an article confirming this relationship.
46. Three-time NHL MVP: ORR (Bobby). The Bruins legend.
51. Beatty of "Network": NED. All the name clues today are Wednesday-ish. Rich always gives the one part of the name for actor/actress on Wednesdays.
52. Andean nation: Abbr.: ECUA. The answer for abbreviated "Andean nation" clue is often Ecuador.
53. Patella sites: KNEES
61. 1934 role for Claudette, briefly: CLEO. I only know Elizabeth Taylor's CLEO. Who is the guy on her right? Quite handsome.
62. Birth cert., e.g.: IDENT. Not familiar with this ID abbr.
63. Casualty of German reunification: WALL. Berlin Wall.
66. "Kinsey" star Neeson: LIAM
67. Olds Cutlass model: CIERA. I peeked at the answer sheet. Olds 1980s-'90s.
68. Syrup brand: EGGO
69. Cutting the mustard: ABLE. Just learned the idiom "cut the mustard" not long ago.
70. Moray catcher: EELER
71. Out of concern that: LEST
Down:
1. Place for letters: BOX. So simple in retrospect.
3. Santayana defines it as "redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim": FANATICISM. Was ignorant of this quote.
4. Common skirt feature: FLARE. Not my type.
5. Utah state flower: SEGO. Wanted LILY.
6. Adequate, slangily: ENUF
7. Gung-ho: AVID
8. Alhambra wall artwork: MOSAIC. Alhambra is literally "the red one" in Arabic. Kazie and her husband met there.
9. Saw-toothed ridge: SIERRA. Kept thinking of ARETE, Clear Ayes.
10. "The Chris Matthews Show" producer: NBC NEWS. MSNBC to be exact.
11. __ package: CARE. Thought of Gunghy & Jazzbumpa whose son/stepson is/will be in danger's way.
12. Pub quaffs: ALES
13. Central Iowa city: AMES
21. Rome's Fontana di __ : TREVI
22. Central U.S. state: KAN. I've been to only a few states in America. Kansas is not one of them.
23. Conductor Toscanini: ARTURO
24. Authority: POOBAH. Great entry.
28. Contest: VIE
29. Yvette's years: ANS. An is year in French.
30. Far from fine: NOT OK. I don't answers with NOT.
31. Be mature: ACT ONE'S AGE. Fantastic entry. Crossing two theme answers. There is a little girl in every grow-up women, longing to be spoiled.
32. "Hear, hear!": I AGREE. I agree with myself on the above comment.
33. Cars designed to compete with Corvettes: T-BIRDS. The answer emerged itself.
39. Scrape together, with "out": EKE
40. Stray: ERR
41. Hides: MASKS
44. "Totally rad!": AWESOME
48. "His Master's Voice" co.: RCA
49. Carol Burnett persona: EUNICE. I guessed.
54. Banister post: NEWEL
56. Like con artists: GLIB
57. Make sound: HEAL
58. Stem-to-stern part: KEEL. Sailing sounds exciting.
59. Memo words: IN RE
60. High light: STAR. Got me. Nice assonance.
64. Some HDTVs: LG'S
65. Developer's unit: LOT. Or acre.
Answer grid.
C.C.
20A. Works in Satan's Museum?: ART OF DARKNESS. "Heart of Darkness". Joseph Conrad novel.
27A. "Tell Senator Bayh to take a number"?: EVAN CAN WAIT. "Heaven Can Wait". The Warren Beatty movie? Evan Bayh, Senator from Indiana.
38A. Egotism?: I ESTEEM. High Esteem. I was confused by the IE combination at first.
47A. Resistance quashers?: OHM WRECKERS. Home Wreckers. We often see OHM clued as "Resistance unit".
55A. Evidence of a love-hate relationship? UGHS AND KISSES. Hugs and Kisses. I don't get the UGHS here. Why? I love the other four question-marked clues. Very entertaining.
I like the orderly vowel progression in the H-off phrases. Neat! The sound-dropping scheme is very Dan Naddor-like. No single black square in this grid. Mostly 3-block clusters.
Several fun clues. My favorite "ones" are:
36A. One objecting to a called strike: SCAB. Of course I was picturing baseball players.
50D. One carrying a bag: CADDIE. Golf. I wanted PORTER.
Across:
1. Willy Loman's favorite son: BIFF. From Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman". Immediate stumper for me.
5. Clothes lines: SEAMS
10. Sweet Sixteen initials: NCAA. And UCLA (55D. The Bruins of the 10-Across).
14. Like some history: ORAL
15. Ballade's closing stanza: ENVOI. Or ENVOY. The poetic coda. We had this clue before.
16. Aloe, for one: BALM. Nice to see ALOE as a clue.
17. Fictional princess: XENA. Did you want AIDA also, Hahtool?
18. Pretense: GUISE
19. First Nations tribe: CREE
23. More felicitous: APTER
25. "Dies __": IRAE. Day of Wrath. We also have IRE (2D. More than annoyance). Same Latin root.
26. Hugh Capet, par exemple: ROI. Have never heard of this dude. He reigned France from 987 to 996.
34. List of chaps.: TOC. Man, it's Table of Contents. Who knows?
35. Amarone or Barolo: VINO
37. Where, to Brutus: UBI. Well, maybe Bob knows it. I've got no idea.
42. __ Friday's: restaurant: TGI
43. Tabula __ : RASA. Several Latin references today.
45. Cousin of hibiscus: OKRA. Really? One is flower, one is veggie, and they are cousins? Maybe Warren will find an article confirming this relationship.
46. Three-time NHL MVP: ORR (Bobby). The Bruins legend.
51. Beatty of "Network": NED. All the name clues today are Wednesday-ish. Rich always gives the one part of the name for actor/actress on Wednesdays.
52. Andean nation: Abbr.: ECUA. The answer for abbreviated "Andean nation" clue is often Ecuador.
53. Patella sites: KNEES
61. 1934 role for Claudette, briefly: CLEO. I only know Elizabeth Taylor's CLEO. Who is the guy on her right? Quite handsome.
62. Birth cert., e.g.: IDENT. Not familiar with this ID abbr.
63. Casualty of German reunification: WALL. Berlin Wall.
66. "Kinsey" star Neeson: LIAM
67. Olds Cutlass model: CIERA. I peeked at the answer sheet. Olds 1980s-'90s.
68. Syrup brand: EGGO
69. Cutting the mustard: ABLE. Just learned the idiom "cut the mustard" not long ago.
70. Moray catcher: EELER
71. Out of concern that: LEST
Down:
1. Place for letters: BOX. So simple in retrospect.
3. Santayana defines it as "redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim": FANATICISM. Was ignorant of this quote.
4. Common skirt feature: FLARE. Not my type.
5. Utah state flower: SEGO. Wanted LILY.
6. Adequate, slangily: ENUF
7. Gung-ho: AVID
8. Alhambra wall artwork: MOSAIC. Alhambra is literally "the red one" in Arabic. Kazie and her husband met there.
9. Saw-toothed ridge: SIERRA. Kept thinking of ARETE, Clear Ayes.
10. "The Chris Matthews Show" producer: NBC NEWS. MSNBC to be exact.
11. __ package: CARE. Thought of Gunghy & Jazzbumpa whose son/stepson is/will be in danger's way.
12. Pub quaffs: ALES
13. Central Iowa city: AMES
21. Rome's Fontana di __ : TREVI
22. Central U.S. state: KAN. I've been to only a few states in America. Kansas is not one of them.
23. Conductor Toscanini: ARTURO
24. Authority: POOBAH. Great entry.
28. Contest: VIE
29. Yvette's years: ANS. An is year in French.
30. Far from fine: NOT OK. I don't answers with NOT.
31. Be mature: ACT ONE'S AGE. Fantastic entry. Crossing two theme answers. There is a little girl in every grow-up women, longing to be spoiled.
32. "Hear, hear!": I AGREE. I agree with myself on the above comment.
33. Cars designed to compete with Corvettes: T-BIRDS. The answer emerged itself.
39. Scrape together, with "out": EKE
40. Stray: ERR
41. Hides: MASKS
44. "Totally rad!": AWESOME
48. "His Master's Voice" co.: RCA
49. Carol Burnett persona: EUNICE. I guessed.
54. Banister post: NEWEL
56. Like con artists: GLIB
57. Make sound: HEAL
58. Stem-to-stern part: KEEL. Sailing sounds exciting.
59. Memo words: IN RE
60. High light: STAR. Got me. Nice assonance.
64. Some HDTVs: LG'S
65. Developer's unit: LOT. Or acre.
Answer grid.
C.C.
