Theme: P_T with Vowel Progression - Not much of a theme but, oh!, what a grid.
17. Dad's legal protection: PATERNITY RIGHTS.
23. Arizona tourist mecca: PETRIFIED FOREST.
39. Batting practice aid: PITCHING MACHINE.
49. One-room schoolhouse heater: POTBELLIED STOVE.
61. Using a euphemism: PUTTING IT MILDLY.
Argyle here.
Tough Tuesday. Five grid-spanning theme entries. Four nine-letter fills cutting down through three theme entries each and the center theme crossed by all four. Impressive. So what if the theme is weak, I say.
17. Dad's legal protection: PATERNITY RIGHTS.
23. Arizona tourist mecca: PETRIFIED FOREST.
39. Batting practice aid: PITCHING MACHINE.
49. One-room schoolhouse heater: POTBELLIED STOVE.
61. Using a euphemism: PUTTING IT MILDLY.
Argyle here.
Tough Tuesday. Five grid-spanning theme entries. Four nine-letter fills cutting down through three theme entries each and the center theme crossed by all four. Impressive. So what if the theme is weak, I say.
If you gave anybody yesterday's puzzle, you might want to steer them away from this one.
Across:
1. Pirate's booty: LOOT.
5. Lash marking: WELT.
9. One of the deadly sins: SLOTH. Sin of "laziness".
14. Sacramento's __ Arena: ARCO. Home to the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Image
15. Aglio e __: pasta dish: OLIO. A traditional Italian pasta dish. Image
16. __ Puffs: COCOA. Cereal.
20. Unborn, after "in": UTERO.
21. Manitoba native: CREE. About the only Canadian Indians I know.
22. Gazetteer statistic: AREA. A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or directory, used in conjunction with a map or a full atlas, with important references about toponomy.
Across:
1. Pirate's booty: LOOT.
5. Lash marking: WELT.
9. One of the deadly sins: SLOTH. Sin of "laziness".
14. Sacramento's __ Arena: ARCO. Home to the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Image
15. Aglio e __: pasta dish: OLIO. A traditional Italian pasta dish. Image
16. __ Puffs: COCOA. Cereal.
20. Unborn, after "in": UTERO.
21. Manitoba native: CREE. About the only Canadian Indians I know.
22. Gazetteer statistic: AREA. A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or directory, used in conjunction with a map or a full atlas, with important references about toponomy.
26. On fire: LIT.
27. Reagan's "Star Wars" prog.: SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.
28. Whale of a tale: SAGA. Whale Tail (The Devil made me do it.)
32. Iwo __: JIMA. Home to Mount Suribachi.
35. "Fine by me": "IT'S OK".
42. Love: ADORE. I had AMORE first.
43. Auto financing org.: GMAC. General Motors Acceptance Corporation. On May 10, 2010, GMAC Inc announced that it re-branded itself as Ally Financial Inc.
44. Cat call: MEOW.
45. Lode material: ORE.
47. Stephen of "Michael Collins": REA. Northern Irish actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his lead performance as Fergus in the 1992 film The Crying Game. "Michael Collins" is a 1996 biopic about General Michael Collins, the Irish patriot and revolutionary who died in the Irish Civil War.
58. Keds competitor: AVIA. They call them trainers now but they are still sneakers to me.
59. Boot out: OUST.
60. Like some basins: TIDAL.
64. __-Chalmers: onetime big name in farm machinery: ALLIS. Now they are Fiat-Allis part of New Holland Ag.
65. Physics subject: ATOM.
66. GPA spoilers: DEEs. Grade Point Average takes a hit from a "D" grade.
67. Bloodsucker: LEECH.
68. Upsurge: RISE.
69. 1920s Folies-Bergère designer: ERTÉ. Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, the French pronunciation of his initials, R.T.
Down:
1. Drink like a cat: LAP UP.
2. Go on the stump: ORATE. On a stump or a soap box, to give a speech.
3. Large chamber group: OCTET. Chamber music is a form of classical music , written for a small group, in this case, eight.
4. "__ is human ...": TO ERR.
5. Took the cup: WON.
6. Drawing out: ELICITING.
7. Unit of petrol: LITRE. British form in the clue and answer.
8. Trifled (with): TOYED.
9. Biol., e.g.: SCI.. Biology, science.
10. Slide rule number: LOGARITHM. Coined by Scottish mathematician John Napier, literally "ratio-number,"
11. Yellow shade: OCHRE.
12. Handy bags: TOTES.
13. Laces into: HAS AT. Not a common term.
18. Stir up: ROIL.
19. Flag throwers, at times: REFS.
24. South Pacific archipelago and nation: FIJI. On the lower right of this map.
25. Like Pindar's works: ODIC. Pindar was an Ancient Greek lyric poet.
28. Mud bath locale: SPA.
29. Assist: AID.
30. Potent '60s-'70s Pontiac: GTO. Image of an early GTO
31. Like trapeze artists: ACROBATIC.
33. Leo's studio: MGM. Leo is the MGM lion. Roar!
34. Almond liqueurs: AMARETTOS. Pour it on some good vanilla ice cream, yum!
36. Potsdam pronoun: SIE. Alliteration, German.
37. "Double Fantasy" artist Yoko: ONO. Back to just her last name.
38. London's __ Gardens: KEW. Actual name is Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, The name Kew is a combination of two words: the Old French kai (landing place; 'quay' derives from this) and Old English hoh (spur of land). The land spur is the bend in the Thames. The name was recorded in 1327 as Cayho.
40. "What have we __?": HERE.
41. Passed and then some: ACED.
46. North Carolina college town: ELON.
48. Sparkling-wine center: ASTI.
49. Like decrees from Benedict XVI, e.g.: PAPAL. He was a Pope.
50. Seed-to-be: OVULE.
51. Champ's prize: TITLE.
52. Dick __, Hoosier senator since 1977: LUGAR. This man.
53. Question about Biblical betrayal: "IS IT I?". During the Last Supper.
54. Señor's feature?: TILDE. The diacritic (~) placed over the n.
55. More off-the-wall: ODDER.
56. Parking helper: VALET.
57. "Family Ties" mom: ELYSE. This woman.
62. "Sorta" suffix: -ISH. Sorta-ish a bad word.
63. Bovary's title: Abbr.: MME.. Madame. Flaubert's "Madame Bovary".
Answer grid.
Argyle
