Theme: Rack 'Em - The first word of the theme entries relate to that trouble they had in River City. Yes, I said trouble. Trouble with a capital "T" and that rhymes with "P" and that stands for 65-Across!
17A. Coach's pregame lecture: CHALK TALK. A coach will often use a blackboard as a visual aid during the pep talk. A pool player uses chalk on the tip of the cue to aid in applying "English" to the cue ball.
24A. Home seller-and-buyer's short-term loan: BRIDGE FINANCING If one has bought a new home that they were going to pay for with the proceeds from the sale of their old home and the old one hasn't sold yet, a bridge loan can cover the gap. In pool, a special stick, can be used when striking the cue ball has to be done bridging another ball.
41A. 1929 women's air race, as dubbed by Will Rogers: POWDER PUFF DERBY. I don't believe Will's term is politically correct nowadays. Talc powder is used to keep a player's hand smooth and dry while making a pool shot.
51A. Production number director's cry: CUE THE ORCHESTRA This cue is the spelled name of the letter q which is an abbreviation (found in acting scripts) of Latin quando, "when". (News to me.) The cue stick comes from the word queue, because it is similar to the long and tapering braid of hair called a queue?
65A. Summer shindig, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 41- and 51-Across: POOL PARTY. Again, the word pool has come from to different meanings. The game is so-called because a betting pool was established prior to playing the game. "I am shocked — shocked— to find that gambling is going on in here!"
Argyle here.
Solid puzzle. Grid spanners. Blocks in the corners. I wrote so much on the theme I don't have much left for the rest so I better get to it.
Across:
1. One in charge : BOSS
5. Ticketless rail rider : HOBO. and 44A. Rail rider : TRAIN
9. Resell at a major markup : SCALP
14. Pirate's syllables : YO, HO. Some scalpers are pirates.
15. Bean product? : IDEA. Bean, slang for head.
16. More virtuous : PURER
19. University of Maine town : ORONO
20. Raptor's roost : AERIE
21. Late-night Jay : LENO
23. Diarist Anaïs : NIN
28. TV revue since '75 : SNL. Saturday Night Live.
29. Acting instructor's deg., perhaps : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.
30. Start to knock? : ANTI. Gasoline additive.
34. Pop music's Lady __ : GAGA. Sounds better than she looks, IMHO.
37. Surround securely : EMBED
45. 1944 invasion city : ST. LO
46. Spot for a hoop : LOBE. Earring.
47. WWII espionage gp. : OSS. Office of Strategic Services.
49. Oktoberfest cry : "ACH!"
60. Gambling letters : OTB. Off-track betting.
61. Gambling city : RENO. Clecho.
62. Assumed identity : ALIAS
63. Absolut rival, for short : STOLI. Vodka
68. Fruit served in balls : MELON
69. Way to store pix : ON CD
70. Prepare for a shot : POSE
71. Speak at length : ORATE
72. Soup veggies : PEAs
73. Job opening : SLOT. I also tried SPOT and SHOT, close but no cigar.
Down:
1. How many city folks travel : BY CAB
2. Fireworks watcher : OOHer
3. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI
4. Three-dimensional : SOLID
5. Wallop : HIT
6. Harem room : ODA
7. Attorney Melvin : BELLI. The palimony lawyer.
8. Like wine barrels : OAKEN
9. Pampered : SPOON-FED
10. Mangy mongrel : CUR
11. Rice-__ : A-RONI
12. Bolshevik leader : LENIN
13. Plug projection : PRONG
18. Tapped barrels : KEGS
22. '60s-'70s service site, briefly : NAM
25. Certain Caltech grad: Abbr. : ENGR.
26. Envelope parts : FLAPS
27. Desert mount : CAMEL. Got me!
30. Well-chosen : APT
31. Fish-fowl connection : NOR
32. Bygone intl. carrier : TWA. Trans World Airlines.
33. Jerk : IDIOT
35. Instinctive, as a feeling : GUT
36. Company with a web-footed spokescritter : AFLAC. He won't go away!
38. Short relative? : BRO
39. Recede : EBB
40. Change, as one's locks? : DYE
42. Elect to a Hall of Fame, say : ENSHRINE
43. Nina of "Spartacus" : FOCH. Image.
48. "What did I tell you?" : "SEE!"
50. Disorderly mound : HEAP
51. Women's mag : COSMO
52. Put into words : UTTER
53. African virus : EBOLA
54. "Hop __": Dr. Seuss book : ON POP
55. ABC's Arledge : ROONE
56. High-fives, e.g. : SLAPS
57. Divided Austrian state : TIROL. German spelling of TYROL
58. Joe's "Midnight Cowboy" pal : RATSO
59. Up to this point : AS YET
64. Subdivision unit : LOT
66. Andean tuber : OCA
67. Mormons' gp. : LDS. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (abbreviated as the LDS).
Answer grid.
Argyle
17A. Coach's pregame lecture: CHALK TALK. A coach will often use a blackboard as a visual aid during the pep talk. A pool player uses chalk on the tip of the cue to aid in applying "English" to the cue ball.
24A. Home seller-and-buyer's short-term loan: BRIDGE FINANCING If one has bought a new home that they were going to pay for with the proceeds from the sale of their old home and the old one hasn't sold yet, a bridge loan can cover the gap. In pool, a special stick, can be used when striking the cue ball has to be done bridging another ball.
41A. 1929 women's air race, as dubbed by Will Rogers: POWDER PUFF DERBY. I don't believe Will's term is politically correct nowadays. Talc powder is used to keep a player's hand smooth and dry while making a pool shot.
51A. Production number director's cry: CUE THE ORCHESTRA This cue is the spelled name of the letter q which is an abbreviation (found in acting scripts) of Latin quando, "when". (News to me.) The cue stick comes from the word queue, because it is similar to the long and tapering braid of hair called a queue?
65A. Summer shindig, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 41- and 51-Across: POOL PARTY. Again, the word pool has come from to different meanings. The game is so-called because a betting pool was established prior to playing the game. "I am shocked — shocked— to find that gambling is going on in here!"
Argyle here.
Solid puzzle. Grid spanners. Blocks in the corners. I wrote so much on the theme I don't have much left for the rest so I better get to it.
Across:
1. One in charge : BOSS
5. Ticketless rail rider : HOBO. and 44A. Rail rider : TRAIN
9. Resell at a major markup : SCALP
14. Pirate's syllables : YO, HO. Some scalpers are pirates.
15. Bean product? : IDEA. Bean, slang for head.
16. More virtuous : PURER
19. University of Maine town : ORONO
20. Raptor's roost : AERIE
21. Late-night Jay : LENO
23. Diarist Anaïs : NIN
28. TV revue since '75 : SNL. Saturday Night Live.
29. Acting instructor's deg., perhaps : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.
30. Start to knock? : ANTI. Gasoline additive.
34. Pop music's Lady __ : GAGA. Sounds better than she looks, IMHO.
37. Surround securely : EMBED
45. 1944 invasion city : ST. LO
46. Spot for a hoop : LOBE. Earring.
47. WWII espionage gp. : OSS. Office of Strategic Services.
49. Oktoberfest cry : "ACH!"
60. Gambling letters : OTB. Off-track betting.
61. Gambling city : RENO. Clecho.
62. Assumed identity : ALIAS
63. Absolut rival, for short : STOLI. Vodka
68. Fruit served in balls : MELON
69. Way to store pix : ON CD
70. Prepare for a shot : POSE
71. Speak at length : ORATE
72. Soup veggies : PEAs
73. Job opening : SLOT. I also tried SPOT and SHOT, close but no cigar.
Down:
1. How many city folks travel : BY CAB
2. Fireworks watcher : OOHer
3. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI
4. Three-dimensional : SOLID
5. Wallop : HIT
6. Harem room : ODA
7. Attorney Melvin : BELLI. The palimony lawyer.
8. Like wine barrels : OAKEN
9. Pampered : SPOON-FED
10. Mangy mongrel : CUR
11. Rice-__ : A-RONI
12. Bolshevik leader : LENIN
13. Plug projection : PRONG
18. Tapped barrels : KEGS
22. '60s-'70s service site, briefly : NAM
25. Certain Caltech grad: Abbr. : ENGR.
26. Envelope parts : FLAPS
27. Desert mount : CAMEL. Got me!
30. Well-chosen : APT
31. Fish-fowl connection : NOR
32. Bygone intl. carrier : TWA. Trans World Airlines.
33. Jerk : IDIOT
35. Instinctive, as a feeling : GUT
36. Company with a web-footed spokescritter : AFLAC. He won't go away!
38. Short relative? : BRO
39. Recede : EBB
40. Change, as one's locks? : DYE
42. Elect to a Hall of Fame, say : ENSHRINE
43. Nina of "Spartacus" : FOCH. Image.
48. "What did I tell you?" : "SEE!"
50. Disorderly mound : HEAP
51. Women's mag : COSMO
52. Put into words : UTTER
53. African virus : EBOLA
54. "Hop __": Dr. Seuss book : ON POP
55. ABC's Arledge : ROONE
56. High-fives, e.g. : SLAPS
57. Divided Austrian state : TIROL. German spelling of TYROL
58. Joe's "Midnight Cowboy" pal : RATSO
59. Up to this point : AS YET
64. Subdivision unit : LOT
66. Andean tuber : OCA
67. Mormons' gp. : LDS. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (abbreviated as the LDS).
Answer grid.
Argyle
