Theme: Magic I - Letter I is attached to the end of a common phrase.
17A. College administrator's cocktail?: DEAN MARTINI. Dean Martin. The only theme entry where the added I changed a two-syllable sound into three-syllable one.
30A. Still in love with a legendary giant?: NOT OVER YETI. Not Over Yet. Yeti the Abominable Snowman. One syllable to two.
47A. Vehicle delivering the weekly checks?: PAYROLL TAXI. Payroll Tax. One syllable to two also.
63A. Equine teacher of Japan?: HORSE SENSEI. Horse Sense. Sensei is Japanese for "teacher". Literally "one who was born first". Sen = First. Sei = Birth. Same as Chinese. One syllable to two syllable as well. And the only I that's attached to the end of a vowel rather than a consonant.
All of the four theme answers have 11 letters. Quite scrabbly. I spotted 4 Z's.
Several of the Down clues delighted me today:
32D. Surfer's read: EZINE. E Magazine. Computer "surfer".
33D. Sentence lengths: TERMS. Prison sentence.
54D. Small fry: TYKE. Not fish.
55D. Debugging agent?: RAID. The bug killer Raid.
Several other clues have a fresh feel too.
Across:
1. Voting group: BOARD. OK, Board of Directors.
6. Big splash maker of the '60s: SHAMU. Was unaware of this original Shamu story.
11. Bit of a tryst exchange: COO. Ha ha, I know Rich would not clue SEX this way.
14. Invest, as with a quality: ENDUE. Put in ENDOW.
15. Navigational aid: LORAN. Long Range Radio Aid to Navigation. Always wanted RADAR.
16. Wood-shaping tool: ADZ
19. Product name derived from the German word for peppermint: PEZ. From German "Pfefferminz". New to me.
20. Requiring less effort: EASIER
21. Inspection requiring scales: AUTOPSY
23. Henpeck: NAG AT
26. Encouraging sound: RAH
27. Former Secret Service weapon: UZI. No longer in use, Argyle?
35. Old Chevy: NOVA. No va is "no go" in Spanish, correct?
37. Romance novelist Roberts: NORA
38. Bagel order, maybe: DOZEN. I've never ordered that many bagels.
39. Blusters: CROWS. I associate crow with brag rather than bluster.
41. Phone bk. listings: NOS
42. Christmas tree adornment: SKIRT. Is yours red also?
43. White House middle name: ABRAM. James Garfield's middle name.
44. Addie's husband in "As I Lay Dying" : ANSE. No idea. So close to the "Latin handle" ANSA.
46. Generous offer: ON ME
50. Alien's subj.: ESL (English as a Second Language). We have a few ESL teachers on the blog: Lucina, Dot, who else?
51. Joey's mom: DOE. Was unaware that a female kangaroo is called a doe. A baby kangaroo is Joey.
52. Eastwood's 1978 "co-star" Clyde, e.g.: ORANG. In "Every Which Way But Loose". I drew a blank.
54. "I wouldn't lie!": TRUST ME
58. E. Sicilian peak: MT ETNA. We often see ETNA alone.
62. Verb for Popeye: YAM. "I yam what I yam".
66. Sleep, in Sussex: KIP. Verb. It can also be noun meaning "bed". New word to me.
67. Firth: INLET
68. Without face value, as stock: NO PAR
69. Mag wheels?: EDS (Editors). Magazine big wheels.
70. "We don't see __ ..." : EYE TO. Did you get it immediately?
71. Not bland: TASTY. And HOT (7D. Like sauce with a kick).
Down:
1. Eliot's "Adam __": BEDE. Learned from doing Xword.
2. Most fit for drafting: ONE A
3. Entry-level legal jobs: Abbr. : ADAS. OK, Assistant District Attorneys.
4. Clash: RUN IN
5. Put down: DEMEAN
6. 35mm camera choice: SLR (Single-Lens Reflex)
8. Rossini specialty: ARIA
9. Soil enricher: MANURE
10. Cirque du Soleil costumes: UNITARDS. Uni + (leo)tard. With full lengh stockings. Maybe Dennis knows. I don't.
11. Sadie Hawkins Day creator: CAPP (Al)
12. "__ of Solomon": religious works: ODES. Guessed.
13. Osbourne of Black Sabbath: OZZY. Such a DF family.
18. About 1% of the Earth's atmosphere: ARGON. Inert gas. Literally "idle".
22. 1971 John Lennon song: OH YOKO. Here is the song. Blind spot for me.
24. Unkeyed: ATONAL
25. Leafs' home: TORONTO. Toronto Maple Leafs. NHL team.
27. Open, as a brew: UNCAP
28. Anthony Quinn title role: ZORBA. ''Zorba the Greek''. 1964 movie.
29. Old billiard ball material: IVORY
31. Poughkeepsie college: VASSAR. Jackie Kennedy attended Vassar.
34. Chip maker: INTEL. Computer chips.
36. Arbitration decisions: AWARDS
40. Blended fruit drink: SMOOTHIE
45. They may be physical: EXAMS. Nice clue too.
48. Like some meringue: LEMONY. Have never had lemon meringue.
49. Rapt: INTENT
53. Columbus's birthplace: GENOA
56. Tag determiners: UMPS. Baseball "tag".
57. Della's creator: ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner. Della Street is Perry Mason's secretary.
59. Dosage abbr. : TSPS
60. Bang-up: NEAT
61. Like breezeways: AIRY
64. Headstrong: SET
65. DDE's arena: ETO (European Theater of Operations)
Thank you for the sweet comments/emails yesterday, everyone. They meant a lot to me. I was eligible for citizenship six years ago, but had never seriously considered becoming an American until I started this blog and got to know all of you on a daily basis. You have made a huge difference in my life. Thank you.
Answer grid.
C.C.
17A. College administrator's cocktail?: DEAN MARTINI. Dean Martin. The only theme entry where the added I changed a two-syllable sound into three-syllable one.
30A. Still in love with a legendary giant?: NOT OVER YETI. Not Over Yet. Yeti the Abominable Snowman. One syllable to two.
47A. Vehicle delivering the weekly checks?: PAYROLL TAXI. Payroll Tax. One syllable to two also.
63A. Equine teacher of Japan?: HORSE SENSEI. Horse Sense. Sensei is Japanese for "teacher". Literally "one who was born first". Sen = First. Sei = Birth. Same as Chinese. One syllable to two syllable as well. And the only I that's attached to the end of a vowel rather than a consonant.
All of the four theme answers have 11 letters. Quite scrabbly. I spotted 4 Z's.
Several of the Down clues delighted me today:
32D. Surfer's read: EZINE. E Magazine. Computer "surfer".
33D. Sentence lengths: TERMS. Prison sentence.
54D. Small fry: TYKE. Not fish.
55D. Debugging agent?: RAID. The bug killer Raid.
Several other clues have a fresh feel too.
Across:
1. Voting group: BOARD. OK, Board of Directors.
6. Big splash maker of the '60s: SHAMU. Was unaware of this original Shamu story.
11. Bit of a tryst exchange: COO. Ha ha, I know Rich would not clue SEX this way.
14. Invest, as with a quality: ENDUE. Put in ENDOW.
15. Navigational aid: LORAN. Long Range Radio Aid to Navigation. Always wanted RADAR.
16. Wood-shaping tool: ADZ
19. Product name derived from the German word for peppermint: PEZ. From German "Pfefferminz". New to me.
20. Requiring less effort: EASIER
21. Inspection requiring scales: AUTOPSY
23. Henpeck: NAG AT
26. Encouraging sound: RAH
27. Former Secret Service weapon: UZI. No longer in use, Argyle?
35. Old Chevy: NOVA. No va is "no go" in Spanish, correct?
37. Romance novelist Roberts: NORA
38. Bagel order, maybe: DOZEN. I've never ordered that many bagels.
39. Blusters: CROWS. I associate crow with brag rather than bluster.
41. Phone bk. listings: NOS
42. Christmas tree adornment: SKIRT. Is yours red also?
43. White House middle name: ABRAM. James Garfield's middle name.
44. Addie's husband in "As I Lay Dying" : ANSE. No idea. So close to the "Latin handle" ANSA.
46. Generous offer: ON ME
50. Alien's subj.: ESL (English as a Second Language). We have a few ESL teachers on the blog: Lucina, Dot, who else?
51. Joey's mom: DOE. Was unaware that a female kangaroo is called a doe. A baby kangaroo is Joey.
52. Eastwood's 1978 "co-star" Clyde, e.g.: ORANG. In "Every Which Way But Loose". I drew a blank.
54. "I wouldn't lie!": TRUST ME
58. E. Sicilian peak: MT ETNA. We often see ETNA alone.
62. Verb for Popeye: YAM. "I yam what I yam".
66. Sleep, in Sussex: KIP. Verb. It can also be noun meaning "bed". New word to me.
67. Firth: INLET
68. Without face value, as stock: NO PAR
69. Mag wheels?: EDS (Editors). Magazine big wheels.
70. "We don't see __ ..." : EYE TO. Did you get it immediately?
71. Not bland: TASTY. And HOT (7D. Like sauce with a kick).
Down:
1. Eliot's "Adam __": BEDE. Learned from doing Xword.
2. Most fit for drafting: ONE A
3. Entry-level legal jobs: Abbr. : ADAS. OK, Assistant District Attorneys.
4. Clash: RUN IN
5. Put down: DEMEAN
6. 35mm camera choice: SLR (Single-Lens Reflex)
8. Rossini specialty: ARIA
9. Soil enricher: MANURE
10. Cirque du Soleil costumes: UNITARDS. Uni + (leo)tard. With full lengh stockings. Maybe Dennis knows. I don't.
11. Sadie Hawkins Day creator: CAPP (Al)
12. "__ of Solomon": religious works: ODES. Guessed.
13. Osbourne of Black Sabbath: OZZY. Such a DF family.
18. About 1% of the Earth's atmosphere: ARGON. Inert gas. Literally "idle".
22. 1971 John Lennon song: OH YOKO. Here is the song. Blind spot for me.
24. Unkeyed: ATONAL
25. Leafs' home: TORONTO. Toronto Maple Leafs. NHL team.
27. Open, as a brew: UNCAP
28. Anthony Quinn title role: ZORBA. ''Zorba the Greek''. 1964 movie.
29. Old billiard ball material: IVORY
31. Poughkeepsie college: VASSAR. Jackie Kennedy attended Vassar.
34. Chip maker: INTEL. Computer chips.
36. Arbitration decisions: AWARDS
40. Blended fruit drink: SMOOTHIE
45. They may be physical: EXAMS. Nice clue too.
48. Like some meringue: LEMONY. Have never had lemon meringue.
49. Rapt: INTENT
53. Columbus's birthplace: GENOA
56. Tag determiners: UMPS. Baseball "tag".
57. Della's creator: ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner. Della Street is Perry Mason's secretary.
59. Dosage abbr. : TSPS
60. Bang-up: NEAT
61. Like breezeways: AIRY
64. Headstrong: SET
65. DDE's arena: ETO (European Theater of Operations)
Thank you for the sweet comments/emails yesterday, everyone. They meant a lot to me. I was eligible for citizenship six years ago, but had never seriously considered becoming an American until I started this blog and got to know all of you on a daily basis. You have made a huge difference in my life. Thank you.
Answer grid.
C.C.
