Theme: A cold war challenge: 63A. With the ends of 18-, 32-, 38- and 49-Across, an historic demand: MR GORBACHEV
18A. Normal damage: WEAR AND TEAR
32A. End zone dance preceder: TOUCHDOWN
38A. "Pay attention!": WATCH THIS
49A. Extensive Asian landmark: GREAT WALL.
And a bonus entry (No symmetrical partner):
54D. Born 2/6/1911, speaker of the demand: REAGAN.
Hi all, Al here.
Interesting variation on the old quotation on a Thursday puzzle we used to get. Not an easy one for me to finish, and the theme didn't really help me at all. I'll just skip to the comments.
ACROSS:
1. One not standing after a strike: PIN. This clue bowled me over.
4. "Così fan tutte" composer: MOZART. Short excerpt with a prop malfunction, worth a smile even if you can't understand. Misogynistic plot roughly translates to "women are like that". Two soldiers attempt to deceive each others' fiancée (sisters) to show that women are fickle. There is also a wager involved.
10. Fuel used in smokeless briquettes: PEAT.
14. United: ONE.
15. Tater Tots maker: ORE-IDA. Portmanteau word of the Oregon/Idaho border area where the company started.
16. Humerus neighbor: ULNA. Your "funny" bone is actually the Ulnar nerve at the distal end of the humerus.
17. School gp.: PTA. Parent Teacher Associations are state or even nation wide, so dues go out and some funding is provided back in. A Parent Teacher Organization is local and does not pay dues to a wider association.
20. Object held by some Monet subjects: PARASOL.
22. "Born to Fly" singer Evans: SARA. Country appeal.
23. __ out: barely makes: EKES. To increase or lengthen. You can eke out your salary with a second job, but you can't eke out your existence.
24. Bribes: SOPS. Bread soaked in liquid. The meaning "something given to appease" is an allusion to the sop given by the Sibyl to Cerberus in Virgil's "Aeneid."
27. Exodus landmark: SINAI.
30. Cubicle items: DESKS. And red Swingline staplers.
34. Way to get up: STEPS.
36. Party drink: TEA. The whole point was to toss it in the harbor instead of drinking it, wasn't it?
37. Like Mars: RED.
42. Nimitz letters: USS. Nuclear-powered Navy supercarrier.
18A. Normal damage: WEAR AND TEAR
32A. End zone dance preceder: TOUCHDOWN
38A. "Pay attention!": WATCH THIS
49A. Extensive Asian landmark: GREAT WALL.
And a bonus entry (No symmetrical partner):
54D. Born 2/6/1911, speaker of the demand: REAGAN.
Hi all, Al here.
Interesting variation on the old quotation on a Thursday puzzle we used to get. Not an easy one for me to finish, and the theme didn't really help me at all. I'll just skip to the comments.
ACROSS:
1. One not standing after a strike: PIN. This clue bowled me over.
4. "Così fan tutte" composer: MOZART. Short excerpt with a prop malfunction, worth a smile even if you can't understand. Misogynistic plot roughly translates to "women are like that". Two soldiers attempt to deceive each others' fiancée (sisters) to show that women are fickle. There is also a wager involved.
10. Fuel used in smokeless briquettes: PEAT.
14. United: ONE.
15. Tater Tots maker: ORE-IDA. Portmanteau word of the Oregon/Idaho border area where the company started.
16. Humerus neighbor: ULNA. Your "funny" bone is actually the Ulnar nerve at the distal end of the humerus.
17. School gp.: PTA. Parent Teacher Associations are state or even nation wide, so dues go out and some funding is provided back in. A Parent Teacher Organization is local and does not pay dues to a wider association.
20. Object held by some Monet subjects: PARASOL.
22. "Born to Fly" singer Evans: SARA. Country appeal.
23. __ out: barely makes: EKES. To increase or lengthen. You can eke out your salary with a second job, but you can't eke out your existence.
24. Bribes: SOPS. Bread soaked in liquid. The meaning "something given to appease" is an allusion to the sop given by the Sibyl to Cerberus in Virgil's "Aeneid."
27. Exodus landmark: SINAI.
30. Cubicle items: DESKS. And red Swingline staplers.
34. Way to get up: STEPS.
36. Party drink: TEA. The whole point was to toss it in the harbor instead of drinking it, wasn't it?
37. Like Mars: RED.
42. Nimitz letters: USS. Nuclear-powered Navy supercarrier.
45. "Livin' Thing" rock gp.: ELO.
46. Horde member: NOMAD.
53. Worker with rattan: CANER.
55. Jockey rival: HANES.
56. Israeli prime minister, 1969-'74: MEIR. Golda
58. Diet brand word: LITE.
59. Logician's "E," perhaps: ERAT. Q.E.D. Latin: quod erat demonstrandum "which was to be demonstrated."
61. Thames neighborhood: CHELSEA.
67. Where Dover is: Abbr.: ENG.land. The one with the white cliffs. Also one in DELaware, just to confuse you.
68. Jezebel's husband: AHAB. Ahab was king of north Israel, Jezebel was a power behind the throne. After Ahab died, his son was overthrown and killed by Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat. Jehu went on to confront Jezebel and incite her court officials to throw her out a window (defenestration) where she was left to be eaten by dogs. In some interpretations, she dressed in finery and put on makeup before her execution which led to the association of use of cosmetics with "painted women" or prostitutes.
69. City WNW of Boca: ST. PETE. Direction and St. Petersburg abbrevs.
70. LAX listing: ETA.
71. Jobless benefit: DOLE. Shortened from Old English gedal "portion," later "charitable portion" Related to dæl "deal", to dole out.
72. Assembly sites: PLANTS.
73. Man cave, maybe: DEN.
DOWN:
1. Visited unannounced, with "in": POPPED.
2. See 7-Down: INTAKES. 7D. With 2-Down, engine conduits: AIR.
3. Most convenient: NEAREST.
4. Does some yardwork: MOWS.
5. Droxies used to compete with them: OREOS. Hydrox cookies, bought by Keebler then renamed. Oreo just out-advertised them. Plus, name changes will lose sales from brand-loyalty customers. I don't remember ever seeing either name.
6. Extremist: ZEALOT. From Late Latin Zelotes "Member of a militant 1st century Jewish sect which fiercely resisted the Romans in Palestine".
8. Nutritional amt.: RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance. Sufficient to prevent deficiency diseases. Not necessarily the optimum amount.
9. Darkens in the sun: TANS. The color of leather, also to make leather.
10. Foul-smelling: PUTRID. From several Latin words, putridus, from putrere "to rot," from putris "rotten, crumbling," related to putere "to stink". Anyone have breakfast yet?
11. Aquitaine duchess: ELEANOR.
12. Women's tennis star Ivanovic: ANA. Photogenic.
13. Sailor: TAR.
19. Track event: DASH. Also Race, jump, heat.
21. Out of line: ASKEW.
25. Road hazard: POTHOLE.
26. Plum pudding ingredient: SUET. I've never had this. Beef fat, who knew? To hold it together, I suppose?
28. Blow away: AWE. From Old Norse "agi": fear, fright.
29. Pacers' home: Abbr.: IND. Basketball, Indiana.
31. Balneotherapy venue: SPA. Treatment of disease by bathing. New word for me.
33. "Come Fly With Me" lyricist: CAHN. Sammy.
35. Burgoo, e.g.: STEW. Reading the explanation for this reminded me of the "stone soup" parable, everybody brings something to add, meat, veggies, etc. This was new to me too. Around here, they make booyah in 25 gallon quantities, but with chicken instead of red meats.
39. Bit of dough: CLAM. Both are terms for money.
40. Org. with an interlocking rings logo: IOC. International Olympic Committee.
41. Trivial: SMALL.
42. "That's disgusting!": UGH.
43. E. Perón's title: SRA. Evita, Senora abbrevs.
44. It nearly surrounds Gambia: SENEGAL. Today's geography lesson.
47. Liqueur flavoring: ANISEED.
48. Cold War thaw: DETENTE. A borrowing of French détente "loosening, slackening" (used in the Middle Ages for the catch of a crossbow).
50. Oxygen-loving organism: AEROBE. One which oxidizes sugars or fats to produce energy.
51. Peter the Great, for one: TSAR. Derived from Latin Caesar.
52. Fungus-alga union: LICHEN. Symbiosis.
57. Butler at Tara: RHETT.
60. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP.
62. Halloween et al.: EVES. All Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallows, continued ancient Celtic traditions. The evening prior to the day was the time of the most intense activity, both human and supernatural. People continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve as a time of the wandering dead, but the supernatural beings were now thought to be evil. The folk continued to appease those spirits (and their masked impersonators) by setting out gifts of food and drink. Subsequently, All Hallows Eve became Hallow Evening, which became Hallowe'en.
63. Moonstruck: MAD. The moon gets blamed for all sorts of lunacy...
64. 17th Greek letter: RHO.
65. Falcons, on scoreboards: ATL. Football, Atlanta.
66. Yr.-end adviser: CPA. Certified Public Accountant.
Answer Grid.
Al
