Theme: Letters Stepping Down - Fifteen Es, Fs & Gs are placed in three grid-spanning columns to portray the visual meaning of each theme entry. E, F & G are in alphabetical order. Answers are placed in Down rather than Across for better visual effect.
4D. Online IRS document submission system, literally? : EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. E-filing. E filing down the grid. January 15 - April 15 is the window to file tax returns.
7D. '60s sitcom set at Fort Courage, literally? : FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. F-Troop. F trooping down also. ABC sitcom 1965 - 1967. I've never seen it.
8D. Skimpy bikini part, literally? : GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. G-String. A string of Gs. That, i've seen.
Interesting looking grid pattern, with eight cheater squares. Not an easy puzzle. I don't remember seeing this kind of theme before, with 3 grid-spanning (down) theme answers that repeat one letter. And a total of 33 E's, wow. The last Elizabeth Long puzzle to appear in the LA Times was over a year ago. Speaking as the only female guest-blogger, it's nice to see the work of female constructors.
Melissa here.
Reminds me a little of Mangesh's recent puzzle, that coincidentally, I also blogged, and included theme answers E-Trading, F-Number, and G-String once again, for posterity.
Across:
1. Use chicanery on : DUPE. Chicanery - the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose. And 48. Achieves via trickery : FINAGLES. Obtains something by devious or dishonest means.
5. Pole worker? : ELF. You were expecting something else?
8. Lots : GOBS
12. Author __ Stanley Gardner : ERLE. Crossword staple - wrote detective stories.
13. Islamic mystic : SUFI
15. Work on, as a bone : GNAW. Great word.
16. Fit of fever : AGUE
17. Roosevelts' successors as first family : TAFTS
19. Festive event : GALA
20. Desert with a view of Beersheba : NEGEV. In Israel. From the Hebrew root denoting "dry".
22. One studying saucers : UFOLOGIST. Actual word. Who wants to be a pole-ologist?
24. Awfully long time : EON
26. Popular pâté : FOIE GRAS. The fattened liver of a duck or goose. I've never had it.
27. He's not always a beast : WEREWOLF. Clever clue. Werewolves change from human to beast, usually at the full moon.
31. Cat chaser : DOG
32. Take the stand again : RETESTIFY
34. Mass unit : GRAM. Base unit of mass in the original French metric system; one-thousandth of a kilogram. And 53. Metric energy unit : ERG. Clecho.
38. Gen. Robt. __ : E. LEE
39. Gather : INFER. Tricky.
41. Arizona river : GILA. A tributary of the Colorado River, in New Mexico and Arizona. 650 miles long.
42. It has a floor on Wall St. : NYSE. New York Stock Exchange.
43. Good feeling that lingers : AFTERGLOW. Ahh.
45. Common Mkt. : EEC. European Economic Community. And 23D. War on Poverty org. : OEO. Office of Economic Opportunity.
49. Lets up : EASES OFF
54. Working hours for night owls : LATE SHIFT.
56. Libya neighbor : EGYPT
60. Creamy cheese : BRIE. Grilled brie and bacon sammy.
61. Volunteer : OFFER
63. "La maja desnuda" painter : GOYA. This should be a gimme by now.
64. Stare at impolitely : OGLE
65. Words before then : IF SO
66. Pita sandwich : GYRO. Anyone else hungry?
67. Playground shout : WHEE
68. Co. whose logo features Mercury carrying a bouquet : FTD. Florists' Transworld Delivery.
69. "What __ around ..." : GOES. "What goes around, comes around."
Down:
1. Official with a list : DEAN. A Dean is the head of the faculty, and the Dean's list is a category of students who achieve high grades.
2. Attempt to persuade : URGE
3. Outlet connection : PLUG. Anyone still looking for ideas for halloween?
5. Educ. guess : EST. Estimate.
6. Island cookout : LUAU
9. Studio warning light : ON AIR
10. Wood for model fliers : BALSA. Hi Dennis.
11. Deals with, as a fly : SWATS
14. "__, Sing America" (Langston Hughes poem) : I TOO. There's your cue, Clear Ayes.
18. Arrived at a base, in a way : SLID. Ball. I meant baseball.
21. Promises : VOWS
25. "It must have been someone else" : NOT I
27. St. Paul's architect : WREN. St. Paul's Cathedral (in London), designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Prince Charles and Lady Di were married there.
28. Hard to hold : EELY. Okay.
29. AAA suggestions : RTES. Routes.
30. Filmmaker Wertmüller : LINA. No idea. Italian filmmaker and director. First woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for directing. She looks like a character. Wiki says she was expelled from more than a dozen Catholic schools in her youth.
33. Mythical Himalayan : YETI
35. Brooklet : RILL
36. Ointment ingredient : ALOE
37. Animal mouths : MAWS. I forgot.
40. Actor Auberjonois : RENE. Played Father Mulcahy in the movie version of M*A*S*H, among other roles.
44. Like a once-in-a-blue-moon event : RARE. Love me some Van.
46. Hook shape : ESS
47. Small to mid-size salmon : COHO
49. Macaroni shape : ELBOW
50. Plaint from a pirate : AARGH
51. It turns a lot in rush hour : STILE. Nailed it.
52. Stereotypical poodle name : FIFI
55. __-drive : TEST
57. Fluctuate wildly : YOYO
58. Combustible pile : PYRE
59. New Mexico resort : TAOS. Pretty. Who's been?
62. Gun, in slang : ROD
Answer grid.
Here is a nice photo of Chickie (most left, green shirt), JD & WM taken yesterday at an art gallery in San Jose.
Melissa
Answer grid.
Here is a nice photo of Chickie (most left, green shirt), JD & WM taken yesterday at an art gallery in San Jose.
Melissa
