Theme: None
Total words: 72
Total blocks: 30
Barry placed triple stacks of 11s (all multi-words) on the top and bottom of the puzzle, sandwiched with a single 9 in the middle of the grid:
1A. Symbol of concentration : THINKING CAP. I was picturing a Zen monk meditating.
15A. Noted pier site : SANTA MONICA. Could only think of San Fransisco.
17A. Rap sheet notes? : HIP HOP MUSIC. Not criminal rap sheet. Great answer/clue.
38A. Clearance level : TOP SECRET. Security Clearance.
62A. Stock, usually : LIQUID ASSET. Was thinking of goods instead of shares.
67A. Calcium oxide : CAUSTIC LIME. Both the clue and answer meant nothing to me.
69A. Accepting personal responsibility : ON ONE'S HONOR. Didn't come to me easily.
Barry then stacked most of his 7s (total 11) in Down, paralleling one another. Two pairs of 8s cross each other.
I had a disastrous solving. Never mind-melded with Barry. So many unknowns, unfamiliar references and tricky clues.
Across:
12. Water potential symbol : PSI. Wikipedia says water potential (???) is expressed by Greek letter Psi. Who knows?!
16. Org. offering the Canine Good Citizen program : AKC (American Kennel Club). Gimme for Clear Ayes.
18. Manhattan liquor : RYE
19. Vexation-plus : IRE. Was so vexed that I could not even nail this one.
20. Irish __ : SEA
21. Make potable, in a way : DESALT. Remove salt from sea water.
23. Some phones : RCAS. Drew a blank.
25. Emit coherent light : LASE
28. "Sexy" Beatles woman : SADIE. Thought of "Lovely Rita". Have never heard of "Sexy Sadie".
29. Folded parts : TUCKS
31. The south of France : MIDI. Literally "noon"/"midday". The sun is in the south at noon, hence the synonym.
33. __ fide : BONA
34. Milk sources : TEATS. Wow!
36. Stumblebums : LUMMOXES. Add F, we have confusing "flummox".
40. Pocono and others : RACEWAYS. Hmm, gimme for our Dilbert.
43. Virginie et Floride : ETATS. Virginia and Florida in French.
46. Out of control : AMOK
47. Sound heard very close to your ear : SNIP. When you have haircut.
49. Mexican waters : AGUAS
51. Spoke Abyssinian? : MEWED. Did not know Abyssinian is a breed of cat. Not a pet person.
53. "Don't __ word!" : SAY A
55. -an counterpart : ENNE. As in comedian/comedienne, feminine ending. Got me.
56. Hoped : PRAYED
58. Polish, say : RUB. My mind was in Poland.
60. Memorable time : ERA. Rare gimme.
61. Respectful title : SIR. I wonder if Vidwan penned in SRI.
66. Cologne conjunction : UND. "And" in German.
68. Orgs. with chiefs : PDS. Police Departments, I suppose.
Down:
1. Item for a camp project : T-SHIRT. Ideal grid edge word, full of consonants.
2. Buzz, e.g. : HAIRCUT. Drew a blank also.
3. Good way to go : IN PEACE. Does this refer to death?
4. High degree : NTH
5. Mr. Big's org. on "Get Smart" : KAOS. I simply forgot.
6. Press forward : IMPEL
7. Polite turndown : NO MA'AM
8. Savanna sighting : GNU
9. USSR successor : CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). Not a familiar abbr to me.
10. Biting : ACID
11. Shows impatience, in a way : PACES
12. Seeming contradiction : PARADOX. He always tells lies.
13. View when landing, perhaps : SKYLINE
14. Summer refreshers : ICE TEAS. Again, no D.
22. Spy's doing : SABOTAGE. Nice fill.
24. Old-fashioned tightening tool : SKATE KEY. Mystery answer to me. I've never skated.
26. Historical Oder River region : SILESIA. Located mostly in Poland. Rich in coal and iron-ore. I peeked at the answer sheet.
27. Cabinet dept. : EDUC
30. Store : STOW
32. 2002 Literature Nobelist Kertész : IMRE. Well, I am sure Hahtool knows this fellow. Hungarian Jewish writer. Imre is the Hungarian variation of English name Emery.
35. Places for sweaters? : SPAS. Sweater = One who sweat.
37. Physics leader? : META. Leader of the word metaphysics.
39. Fine and dandy: Abbr. : SYNS. Fine and dandy are synonyms.
40. Increases sharply : RAMPS UP
41. Portmanteau word for a certain native : AMERIND. American Indian.
42. Each of them is "one who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs": Bierce : COWARDS. I used "think with your legs" on the blog once, responding to an Anonymous.
44. Receives on the radio : TUNES IN
45. Italian Riviera resort : SAN REMO. We often see REMO as a partial.
48. Fool's gold : PYRITE
50. Two-__: tandem : SEATER
52. Car battery ignition system pioneer : DELCO. Stumped me last time.
54. Q5 and Q7 : AUDIS
57. Anthropologist Fossey : DIAN. Can never remember her name.
59. "The Well-Tempered Clavier" composer : BACH. Anything classic is beyond me.
63. Locus in __: the place in which (Lat.) : QUO. Quo = Which, correct, Bob/Kazie?
64. SEAL's org. : USN (US Navy). Our ex-governor Jesse Ventura is a former Navy SEAL.
65. Pitch preceder : SLO. Slo-Pitch softball.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 72
Total blocks: 30
Barry placed triple stacks of 11s (all multi-words) on the top and bottom of the puzzle, sandwiched with a single 9 in the middle of the grid:
1A. Symbol of concentration : THINKING CAP. I was picturing a Zen monk meditating.
15A. Noted pier site : SANTA MONICA. Could only think of San Fransisco.
17A. Rap sheet notes? : HIP HOP MUSIC. Not criminal rap sheet. Great answer/clue.
38A. Clearance level : TOP SECRET. Security Clearance.
62A. Stock, usually : LIQUID ASSET. Was thinking of goods instead of shares.
67A. Calcium oxide : CAUSTIC LIME. Both the clue and answer meant nothing to me.
69A. Accepting personal responsibility : ON ONE'S HONOR. Didn't come to me easily.
Barry then stacked most of his 7s (total 11) in Down, paralleling one another. Two pairs of 8s cross each other.
I had a disastrous solving. Never mind-melded with Barry. So many unknowns, unfamiliar references and tricky clues.
Across:
12. Water potential symbol : PSI. Wikipedia says water potential (???) is expressed by Greek letter Psi. Who knows?!
16. Org. offering the Canine Good Citizen program : AKC (American Kennel Club). Gimme for Clear Ayes.
18. Manhattan liquor : RYE
19. Vexation-plus : IRE. Was so vexed that I could not even nail this one.
20. Irish __ : SEA
21. Make potable, in a way : DESALT. Remove salt from sea water.
23. Some phones : RCAS. Drew a blank.
25. Emit coherent light : LASE
28. "Sexy" Beatles woman : SADIE. Thought of "Lovely Rita". Have never heard of "Sexy Sadie".
29. Folded parts : TUCKS
31. The south of France : MIDI. Literally "noon"/"midday". The sun is in the south at noon, hence the synonym.
33. __ fide : BONA
34. Milk sources : TEATS. Wow!
36. Stumblebums : LUMMOXES. Add F, we have confusing "flummox".
40. Pocono and others : RACEWAYS. Hmm, gimme for our Dilbert.
43. Virginie et Floride : ETATS. Virginia and Florida in French.
46. Out of control : AMOK
47. Sound heard very close to your ear : SNIP. When you have haircut.
49. Mexican waters : AGUAS
51. Spoke Abyssinian? : MEWED. Did not know Abyssinian is a breed of cat. Not a pet person.
53. "Don't __ word!" : SAY A
55. -an counterpart : ENNE. As in comedian/comedienne, feminine ending. Got me.
56. Hoped : PRAYED
58. Polish, say : RUB. My mind was in Poland.
60. Memorable time : ERA. Rare gimme.
61. Respectful title : SIR. I wonder if Vidwan penned in SRI.
66. Cologne conjunction : UND. "And" in German.
68. Orgs. with chiefs : PDS. Police Departments, I suppose.
Down:
1. Item for a camp project : T-SHIRT. Ideal grid edge word, full of consonants.
2. Buzz, e.g. : HAIRCUT. Drew a blank also.
3. Good way to go : IN PEACE. Does this refer to death?
4. High degree : NTH
5. Mr. Big's org. on "Get Smart" : KAOS. I simply forgot.
6. Press forward : IMPEL
7. Polite turndown : NO MA'AM
8. Savanna sighting : GNU
9. USSR successor : CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). Not a familiar abbr to me.
10. Biting : ACID
11. Shows impatience, in a way : PACES
12. Seeming contradiction : PARADOX. He always tells lies.
13. View when landing, perhaps : SKYLINE
14. Summer refreshers : ICE TEAS. Again, no D.
22. Spy's doing : SABOTAGE. Nice fill.
24. Old-fashioned tightening tool : SKATE KEY. Mystery answer to me. I've never skated.
26. Historical Oder River region : SILESIA. Located mostly in Poland. Rich in coal and iron-ore. I peeked at the answer sheet.
27. Cabinet dept. : EDUC
30. Store : STOW
32. 2002 Literature Nobelist Kertész : IMRE. Well, I am sure Hahtool knows this fellow. Hungarian Jewish writer. Imre is the Hungarian variation of English name Emery.
35. Places for sweaters? : SPAS. Sweater = One who sweat.
37. Physics leader? : META. Leader of the word metaphysics.
39. Fine and dandy: Abbr. : SYNS. Fine and dandy are synonyms.
40. Increases sharply : RAMPS UP
41. Portmanteau word for a certain native : AMERIND. American Indian.
42. Each of them is "one who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs": Bierce : COWARDS. I used "think with your legs" on the blog once, responding to an Anonymous.
44. Receives on the radio : TUNES IN
45. Italian Riviera resort : SAN REMO. We often see REMO as a partial.
48. Fool's gold : PYRITE
50. Two-__: tandem : SEATER
52. Car battery ignition system pioneer : DELCO. Stumped me last time.
54. Q5 and Q7 : AUDIS
57. Anthropologist Fossey : DIAN. Can never remember her name.
59. "The Well-Tempered Clavier" composer : BACH. Anything classic is beyond me.
63. Locus in __: the place in which (Lat.) : QUO. Quo = Which, correct, Bob/Kazie?
64. SEAL's org. : USN (US Navy). Our ex-governor Jesse Ventura is a former Navy SEAL.
65. Pitch preceder : SLO. Slo-Pitch softball.
Answer grid.
C.C.
