Theme: Before and After - Just like on Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy!, with the extra wrinkle that the first phrase leads into a state. If you haven't seen either of these TV game shows, the end of the first word or phrase becomes the start of the second word or phrase. The two words or phrases are unrelated otherwise.
17A. Having a sense of the Prairie State? : FEELING ILLINOIS (feeling ill)
27A. Webster's impression of the Natural State? : NOAH'S ARKANSAS (Noah's ark)
44A. Watch the Evergreen State? : EYE WASHINGTON (eye wash)
59A. Close to the Magnolia State? : NEAR MISSISSIPPI (near miss)
Argyle here. Now this is more like it. Two grid spanners and two near grid spanners. Cute theme. Two long perps crossing three of the themes each.
Across:
1. Crick in the neck, e.g. : SPASM
6. Exec's "I want it now!" : ASAP
10. Sci. class : BIOL. Biology.
14. Foil maker : ALCOA. Did they ever make an épée, I wonder?
15. The Big Easy, briefly : NOLA. New Orleans, Louisiana. Also, one of Chef Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans restaurants. Associated with 47D. Mardi __ : GRAS
16. Golden rule word : UNTO
20. Retreats : EBBS. If you thought, 'noun', you might have put down 'spas'.
21. Pub quaffs : ALES
22. Between then and now : SINCE
23. "V for Vendetta" actor Stephen : REA. He portrayed Fergus in The Crying Game.
24. Mil. morale booster : USO. United Service Organization.
25. Scandinavian capital : OSLO. The capital and largest city in Norway.
33. '50s song, e.g. : OLDIE
35. Fr. holy women : STEs.
36. Not con : PRO
37. Soccer score : GOAL
38. En __: all together : MASSE
40. Like the Reaper : GRIM. Reaper is capitalized to indicate it is the black-cloaked, scythe-wielding personification of death and not one of these reapers.
41. Breakfast food : EGG
42. __ rug: dance : CUT A
43. Skip over : ELIDE
48. One-named Deco designer : ERTE
49. Mine output : ORE
50. Verizon forerunner : GTE
53. Test during pregnancy, briefly : AMNIO. Amniocentesis can give doctors essential information about the health of the fetus.
56. Start of a birth announcement : IT'S A. Hopefully, it's a healthy....
58. Potting soil : LOAM
62. Have to have : NEED
63. Sooner State tribe : OTOE
64. Staggering : AREEL
65. Estimate words : OR SO
66. Political org. until 1991 : USSR
67. Things to solve for, in some equations : X AND Y
Down:
1. Not so dangerous : SAFER
2. West Point rookie : PLEBE. Short for plebeian; I never realized that.
3. Injury treatment brand : ACE BANDAGE
4. Beethoven's fifths? : SOLs. The syllable used for the fifth tone of a diatonic scale.
5. Spring month in Paris : MAI. Our May, when I hope our snow is gone!
6. Latino's white American buddies : ANGLOs
7. Sorbonne silk : SOIE. The French word for silk.
8. What it takes, in an inclusive idiom : ALL SORTS. I tried to fit in "ALL'S FAIR".
9. Buddy : PAL
10. Toe inflammation : BUNION
11. Aware of : IN ON. ON TO is the more common answer for this clue.
12. Suffix with narc : OTIC. Narcotic.
13. Misplace : LOSE
18. Poet Ogden : NASH
19. __ Canarias : ISLAS. Canary Islands.
24. Its cap. is Abu Dhabi : UAE
26. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE. Image.
28. Olive or peanut product : OIL
29. Very, in music : ASSAI. Italian.
30. Emulate a jack-in-the-box : SPRING OPEN
31. Saharan : ARID
32. Vague number : SOME
33. Architect's S-curve : OGEE
34. Feeling sluggish : LOGY
38. Has to : MUST
39. Nonbelievers : ATHEISTS
40. Mop & __: floor cleaner : GLO
42. Pool shot : CAROM
43. Lyon summer : ETE
45. Nut : WEIRDO
46. More snoopy : NOSIER
51. Recorded, in a way : TAPED
52. Most popular baby girl's name, 1996-2007 : EMILY
53. A.D. part : ANNO
54. The Mediterranean, to Hans : MEER. German for "sea". Here we start a little run of foreign words.
55. Scot's turndowns : NAEs
57. General __ chicken : TSOs
58. Old Italian dough : LIRA. Currency.
60. Debt acknowledgment : IOU
61. Clinton played one : SAX. Please hold any political comments.
Answer grid.
Argyle
17A. Having a sense of the Prairie State? : FEELING ILLINOIS (feeling ill)
27A. Webster's impression of the Natural State? : NOAH'S ARKANSAS (Noah's ark)
44A. Watch the Evergreen State? : EYE WASHINGTON (eye wash)
59A. Close to the Magnolia State? : NEAR MISSISSIPPI (near miss)
Argyle here. Now this is more like it. Two grid spanners and two near grid spanners. Cute theme. Two long perps crossing three of the themes each.
Across:
1. Crick in the neck, e.g. : SPASM
6. Exec's "I want it now!" : ASAP
10. Sci. class : BIOL. Biology.
14. Foil maker : ALCOA. Did they ever make an épée, I wonder?
15. The Big Easy, briefly : NOLA. New Orleans, Louisiana. Also, one of Chef Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans restaurants. Associated with 47D. Mardi __ : GRAS
16. Golden rule word : UNTO
20. Retreats : EBBS. If you thought, 'noun', you might have put down 'spas'.
21. Pub quaffs : ALES
22. Between then and now : SINCE
23. "V for Vendetta" actor Stephen : REA. He portrayed Fergus in The Crying Game.
24. Mil. morale booster : USO. United Service Organization.
25. Scandinavian capital : OSLO. The capital and largest city in Norway.
33. '50s song, e.g. : OLDIE
35. Fr. holy women : STEs.
36. Not con : PRO
37. Soccer score : GOAL
38. En __: all together : MASSE
40. Like the Reaper : GRIM. Reaper is capitalized to indicate it is the black-cloaked, scythe-wielding personification of death and not one of these reapers.
41. Breakfast food : EGG
42. __ rug: dance : CUT A
43. Skip over : ELIDE
48. One-named Deco designer : ERTE
49. Mine output : ORE
50. Verizon forerunner : GTE
53. Test during pregnancy, briefly : AMNIO. Amniocentesis can give doctors essential information about the health of the fetus.
56. Start of a birth announcement : IT'S A. Hopefully, it's a healthy....
58. Potting soil : LOAM
62. Have to have : NEED
63. Sooner State tribe : OTOE
64. Staggering : AREEL
65. Estimate words : OR SO
66. Political org. until 1991 : USSR
67. Things to solve for, in some equations : X AND Y
Down:
1. Not so dangerous : SAFER
2. West Point rookie : PLEBE. Short for plebeian; I never realized that.
3. Injury treatment brand : ACE BANDAGE
4. Beethoven's fifths? : SOLs. The syllable used for the fifth tone of a diatonic scale.
5. Spring month in Paris : MAI. Our May, when I hope our snow is gone!
6. Latino's white American buddies : ANGLOs
7. Sorbonne silk : SOIE. The French word for silk.
8. What it takes, in an inclusive idiom : ALL SORTS. I tried to fit in "ALL'S FAIR".
9. Buddy : PAL
10. Toe inflammation : BUNION
11. Aware of : IN ON. ON TO is the more common answer for this clue.
12. Suffix with narc : OTIC. Narcotic.
13. Misplace : LOSE
18. Poet Ogden : NASH
19. __ Canarias : ISLAS. Canary Islands.
24. Its cap. is Abu Dhabi : UAE
26. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE. Image.
28. Olive or peanut product : OIL
29. Very, in music : ASSAI. Italian.
30. Emulate a jack-in-the-box : SPRING OPEN
31. Saharan : ARID
32. Vague number : SOME
33. Architect's S-curve : OGEE
34. Feeling sluggish : LOGY
38. Has to : MUST
39. Nonbelievers : ATHEISTS
40. Mop & __: floor cleaner : GLO
42. Pool shot : CAROM
43. Lyon summer : ETE
45. Nut : WEIRDO
46. More snoopy : NOSIER
51. Recorded, in a way : TAPED
52. Most popular baby girl's name, 1996-2007 : EMILY
53. A.D. part : ANNO
54. The Mediterranean, to Hans : MEER. German for "sea". Here we start a little run of foreign words.
55. Scot's turndowns : NAEs
57. General __ chicken : TSOs
58. Old Italian dough : LIRA. Currency.
60. Debt acknowledgment : IOU
61. Clinton played one : SAX. Please hold any political comments.
Answer grid.
Argyle
