Theme: None
Total words: 68. Total blocks: 27
Average Word length: 5.82. Missing: J, Q, X & Z.
Rather low in terms of total words and blocks account.
The puzzle is framed by triple stacks of horizontal 11s at the upper right and bottom left, intersecting another vertical 11 and triple columns of 7s on each end. Another triple columns of vertical 7s in the upper left and lower right completes the basic skeleton of the grid. The eight 11s are:
4A. Workout apparatus : STAIRMASTER. The only one word 11.
16A. Old fortune-telling site : PENNY ARCADE. Have never heard of this term. Is it in a mall?
18A. Carried out by : ON THE PART OF. Can you give me an example of how the clue & answer equates?
58A. Sought some shelter? : OPENED AN IRA. Tax shelter, I suppose.
62A. Balance in the end : COME OUT EVEN. Nice entry.
64A. Had an in : KNEW SOMEONE. Didn't come to me readily.
5D. Garments lacking waistlines : TENT DRESSES. Gisele is wearing one here. She's gorgeous no matter what she dons.
25D. "El Cid" co-star : SOPHIA LOREN. Nice to have her full name. I've never watched "El Cid" though.
Very difficult solving for me. Lots of unfamiliar references. This is our first encounter with Joe DiPietro, who has constructed over 100 puzzles for NY Times, mainly hard late week themeless grids.
Across:
1. Cable initials : TMC. I figured it would start T??. TBS, TNT.
15. Joey in Milne stories : ROO. Kanga's kid in "Winnie-the-Pooh". Joey is young kangaroo.
17. The Cyclones of the Big 12 Conf. : ISU (Iowa State University). In Ames.
19. Mystery author whose work has been translated into more than 100 languages : CHRISTIE (Agatha)
21. "I can do that" : LET ME
22. Made one's view known : OPINED
23. 1940s-'70s bandleader Edmundo : ROS. Alien to me. He's still alive. 99 years old now.
26. Tahari of fashion : ELIE. Nope. Have never heard of the guy or his brand.
27. Heading to overtime : TIED
28. Exude : REEK OF
31. LAX posting : ETD
32. Scattered : STREWED
34. Union members? : SPOUSES. The ? hints it's not about labor union. Awesome clue.
36. Carefree state : EASE
37. Chain with links : IHOP. Nice clue too.
38. Multiple-ride ticket : BUS PASS
41. Terry of Monty Python : GILLIAM. Was he in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? I just could not understand the humor. Stopped watching after 2 minutes of nonsense.
45. Adder's kin : ASP
46. Aircraft company since 1927 : CESSNA. Named after its founder Clyde Cessna.
48. When Eliza sings "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" : ACT I. Filled in ACT immediately.
49. Tough test : BEAR
51. Called with chips : SAW. Poker reference often confounds me. See and raise.
52. Liquor store buys : LITERS
54. Doctor, ideally : CURER. Why "ideally"?
56. Expiate : ATONE FOR
61. Dramatic way to go? : APE. Go ape.
63. Mauna __ : LOA
65. You'll trip if you drop it : LSD. This damned drug often tripped me, no matter how it's clued.
Down:
1. Warp-knit fabrics : TRICOTS. New word to me. It's pronounced like "TREE-koh". T is silent.
2. Slam-dancing area : MOSH PIT. Stymied me last time.
3. Express service employee : COURIER
4. "Imagine, Zeke ..." : S'POSE. Dennis told me he did not like this clue. Zeke is a nickname for hayseed, correct?
6. Nonpro? : ANTI. I'd prefer "Non pro?".
7. What a hider shouldn't say to a seeker : IN HERE
8. Bar order : RYE. Whiskey I suppose.
9. It may include highs and lows : MAP. What do "highs" and "lows" here refer to?
10. Uzbekistan border sea : ARAL
11. Rocky debris : SCREE. Like this.
12. Snitches : TATTLES
13. Early inhabitant along the Dead Sea : EDOMITE. Descendant of Esau's land Esau. Got me.
14. Carb-up days, to low-carb dieters : REFEEDS. Well, maybe Al can explain to us what the heck is going on here. Makes no sense to me, both the clue and the answer.
20. Committed and then some : IN DEEP
24. Circular signal : OK SIGN
29. Greek regional capital : EDESSA. No idea. Modern name is Urfa. Early center of Christianity in Mesopotamia, says Dictionary.
30. Trick : FOOL
33. WWII enlistee : WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps). I can never remember this initialism.
35. Burning the midnight oil : UP LATE
38. Detroit Red Wings coach Mike : BABCOCK. Here he is. Out of my knowledge zone.
39. Consume with regard to : USE UPON
40. "Puh-leeze!" : SPARE ME. Nice one.
42. Irregular glacial mass : ICEFALL. Spitzboov seems to know a lot about this stuff, and geology.
43. One of the Fates : ATROPOS. The Fate who cuts the thread of life. I simply forgot.
44. See Tears for Fears? : MISREAD. Does Capital T look capital F to you?
47. Gershwin's first hit : SWANEE. George Gershwin. Here is clip. Unknown to me.
50. Agree to more issues : RENEW. More issues of the magazine.
53. Harebrained : INANE
55. Old Royale 8's, e.g. : REOS
57. Save for later, in a way : TIVO. Drew a blank.
59. Comedy team, usually : DUO
60. Pharmacy convenience, often : ATM.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 68. Total blocks: 27
Average Word length: 5.82. Missing: J, Q, X & Z.
Rather low in terms of total words and blocks account.
The puzzle is framed by triple stacks of horizontal 11s at the upper right and bottom left, intersecting another vertical 11 and triple columns of 7s on each end. Another triple columns of vertical 7s in the upper left and lower right completes the basic skeleton of the grid. The eight 11s are:
4A. Workout apparatus : STAIRMASTER. The only one word 11.
16A. Old fortune-telling site : PENNY ARCADE. Have never heard of this term. Is it in a mall?
18A. Carried out by : ON THE PART OF. Can you give me an example of how the clue & answer equates?
58A. Sought some shelter? : OPENED AN IRA. Tax shelter, I suppose.
62A. Balance in the end : COME OUT EVEN. Nice entry.
64A. Had an in : KNEW SOMEONE. Didn't come to me readily.
5D. Garments lacking waistlines : TENT DRESSES. Gisele is wearing one here. She's gorgeous no matter what she dons.
25D. "El Cid" co-star : SOPHIA LOREN. Nice to have her full name. I've never watched "El Cid" though.
Very difficult solving for me. Lots of unfamiliar references. This is our first encounter with Joe DiPietro, who has constructed over 100 puzzles for NY Times, mainly hard late week themeless grids.
Across:
1. Cable initials : TMC. I figured it would start T??. TBS, TNT.
15. Joey in Milne stories : ROO. Kanga's kid in "Winnie-the-Pooh". Joey is young kangaroo.
17. The Cyclones of the Big 12 Conf. : ISU (Iowa State University). In Ames.
19. Mystery author whose work has been translated into more than 100 languages : CHRISTIE (Agatha)
21. "I can do that" : LET ME
22. Made one's view known : OPINED
23. 1940s-'70s bandleader Edmundo : ROS. Alien to me. He's still alive. 99 years old now.
26. Tahari of fashion : ELIE. Nope. Have never heard of the guy or his brand.
27. Heading to overtime : TIED
28. Exude : REEK OF
31. LAX posting : ETD
32. Scattered : STREWED
34. Union members? : SPOUSES. The ? hints it's not about labor union. Awesome clue.
36. Carefree state : EASE
37. Chain with links : IHOP. Nice clue too.
38. Multiple-ride ticket : BUS PASS
41. Terry of Monty Python : GILLIAM. Was he in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? I just could not understand the humor. Stopped watching after 2 minutes of nonsense.
45. Adder's kin : ASP
46. Aircraft company since 1927 : CESSNA. Named after its founder Clyde Cessna.
48. When Eliza sings "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" : ACT I. Filled in ACT immediately.
49. Tough test : BEAR
51. Called with chips : SAW. Poker reference often confounds me. See and raise.
52. Liquor store buys : LITERS
54. Doctor, ideally : CURER. Why "ideally"?
56. Expiate : ATONE FOR
61. Dramatic way to go? : APE. Go ape.
63. Mauna __ : LOA
65. You'll trip if you drop it : LSD. This damned drug often tripped me, no matter how it's clued.
Down:
1. Warp-knit fabrics : TRICOTS. New word to me. It's pronounced like "TREE-koh". T is silent.
2. Slam-dancing area : MOSH PIT. Stymied me last time.
3. Express service employee : COURIER
4. "Imagine, Zeke ..." : S'POSE. Dennis told me he did not like this clue. Zeke is a nickname for hayseed, correct?
6. Nonpro? : ANTI. I'd prefer "Non pro?".
7. What a hider shouldn't say to a seeker : IN HERE
8. Bar order : RYE. Whiskey I suppose.
9. It may include highs and lows : MAP. What do "highs" and "lows" here refer to?
10. Uzbekistan border sea : ARAL
11. Rocky debris : SCREE. Like this.
12. Snitches : TATTLES
13. Early inhabitant along the Dead Sea : EDOMITE. Descendant of Esau's land Esau. Got me.
14. Carb-up days, to low-carb dieters : REFEEDS. Well, maybe Al can explain to us what the heck is going on here. Makes no sense to me, both the clue and the answer.
20. Committed and then some : IN DEEP
24. Circular signal : OK SIGN
29. Greek regional capital : EDESSA. No idea. Modern name is Urfa. Early center of Christianity in Mesopotamia, says Dictionary.
30. Trick : FOOL
33. WWII enlistee : WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps). I can never remember this initialism.
35. Burning the midnight oil : UP LATE
38. Detroit Red Wings coach Mike : BABCOCK. Here he is. Out of my knowledge zone.
39. Consume with regard to : USE UPON
40. "Puh-leeze!" : SPARE ME. Nice one.
42. Irregular glacial mass : ICEFALL. Spitzboov seems to know a lot about this stuff, and geology.
43. One of the Fates : ATROPOS. The Fate who cuts the thread of life. I simply forgot.
44. See Tears for Fears? : MISREAD. Does Capital T look capital F to you?
47. Gershwin's first hit : SWANEE. George Gershwin. Here is clip. Unknown to me.
50. Agree to more issues : RENEW. More issues of the magazine.
53. Harebrained : INANE
55. Old Royale 8's, e.g. : REOS
57. Save for later, in a way : TIVO. Drew a blank.
59. Comedy team, usually : DUO
60. Pharmacy convenience, often : ATM.
Answer grid.
C.C.
