Theme: "My sentiments, exactly!". Each of the grid-spanning theme entries reflect many of my crossword-solving frustrations!
17A. Frustrated crossword solver's cry : I HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE
34A. Frustrated crossword solver's cry : COULD BE ANYTHING
43A. Frustrated crossword solver's cry : IT'S A MYSTERY TO ME
61A. Relieved crossword solver's cry : FINALLY ONE I KNOW
Our last SJx2 was earlier this month, on a Sunday. This one is a fun Thursday puzzler, with appropriate crossword solver's sentiments. I hope you will enlighten us with which phrase was the seed for this one, Steven? And only a "Q" away from a pangram!
Marti here, to explore all the ins and outs.
Across:
1. Party boss? : HOST. Not the infamous Tweed, but one who gives a gala.
5. Bunks, e.g. : BEDS
9. Lavish meal : FEAST
14. Wine-growing region : ASTI. Geography lesson. Region famous for its "Spumanti" sparkling wine.
15. Neural conductor : AXON
16. '80s-'90s legal drama : L.A. LAW
20. Kindle competitor : NOOK. Sorry, I use an iPad.
21. Chew toy material : RAWHIDE. Sweet!!
17A. Frustrated crossword solver's cry : I HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE
34A. Frustrated crossword solver's cry : COULD BE ANYTHING
43A. Frustrated crossword solver's cry : IT'S A MYSTERY TO ME
61A. Relieved crossword solver's cry : FINALLY ONE I KNOW
Our last SJx2 was earlier this month, on a Sunday. This one is a fun Thursday puzzler, with appropriate crossword solver's sentiments. I hope you will enlighten us with which phrase was the seed for this one, Steven? And only a "Q" away from a pangram!
Marti here, to explore all the ins and outs.
Across:
1. Party boss? : HOST. Not the infamous Tweed, but one who gives a gala.
5. Bunks, e.g. : BEDS
9. Lavish meal : FEAST
14. Wine-growing region : ASTI. Geography lesson. Region famous for its "Spumanti" sparkling wine.
15. Neural conductor : AXON
16. '80s-'90s legal drama : L.A. LAW
20. Kindle competitor : NOOK. Sorry, I use an iPad.
21. Chew toy material : RAWHIDE. Sweet!!
22. Scholarship, e.g. : AID
24. Spits out, as a DVD : EJECTS. Or, as watermelon seeds?
27. Small beef : NIT. Oooh, I bet we'll get one or two on the blog today...
28. Move through muck : SLOG. Some people complain that the day's puzzle was a SLOG. Not today, though!
30. Brand at Williams-Sonoma : OXO
31. Little songbird : TIT. OK, just for you guys...
40. Kindergarten rejoinder : IS TOO. Kindergarteners need some anger management courses...
41. Kan. hours : CST. Central Standard Time in Kansas.
42. Hacienda honorific : SENOR.
46. Formula One racer Fabi : TEO. This guy. (Recognize him?) (It's on his car...)
47. Enzyme suffic : ASE
48. Spirited horse : ARAB
49. Shriner hat : FEZ. Abejo owns several!
52. Two-time Bond portrayer : DALTON. Timothy.
55. PH.D. seeker's exam : GRE. Graduate Record Examination
56. Keys at a bar, perhaps : IVORIES. Piano keys, that is.
59. Onetime larva : PUPA
66. Nice states : ETATS. Not nirvanas, but the word in Nice, France for "states".
67. Co-star of Tom in "Angels & Demons" : EWAN. Tom Hanks and EWAN McGregor (So sexy!!). Sequel to "The Da Vinci Code".
68. Telathon request : GIVE
69. It may be roja or verde : SALSA. Roja = red, verde = green, in Spanish.
70. Shirts with slogans : TEES. "I'm with stupid ---->"
71. Walkout walk-in : SCAB. Fun clue/answer.
Down:
1. Yes, in Yokohama : HAI. I immediately thought of Richard Chamberlain in "Shogun", but couldn't find the link!
2. ___ Kosh B'Gosh : OSH. It bothers me that the clue has the answer, twice. (Not that I wouldn't stoop to using it myself...but, it still bothers me!)
3. Superior talents : STANDOUTS
4. Save for later, in a way : TIVO. Have never used it. My Apple TV can record anything.
5. Holdup : BANK JOB. Great movie! Have you seen it?
6. Bus. line : EXT.ension on a bus.iness phone line.
7. Track relentlessly : DOG
8. Show derision : SNORT. I almost snorted wine out my nose when this one filled in! (Remember, I am writing this at 10:00 PM, not 5:30 AM !!)
9. One may be fatal : FLAW. Who wanted "blow"?
10. Per capita : EACH
11. Bold poker bet : ALL IN. This has paid off big time for me online. Anyone else play? (I have won about $2,500,000 in fake dollars. I never use real money...unfortunately!!)
12. Jidda native : SAUDI. Another geography lesson. Often spelled "Jeddah".
13. Short online posting : TWEET. Whatever happened to the "Canary sound" clues? F.Y.I., "Twitter message" was first used by Fred Jackson III in the LAT on Thursday, July 30, 2009 !!
18. Job ad abbr. : EOE.Equal Opportunity Employer. Or EEO, "Equal Employment Opportunity", or EEOC, "Equal Employment Opportunity Commission". Remember them all - they are bound to crop up again.
19. "Delicious!" : TASTY
22. It has defs. for 128 characters : ASCII. American Standard Code for Information Interchange. Here is the full chart, for you would-be programmers out there.
23. "Didn't bring my A-game" : I LOST
25. Business biggies : EXECS
26. By the sea : COASTAL
29. Respond smugly to 23-Down's speaker : GLOAT. Not sporting, old chap!
32. ___-bitsy : ITSY. Again, answer contained in the clue...
33. Greek letter : THETA. Ok, give us a little help here! "Eta follower", "Iota predecessor"???
35. It may be retractable : DOME. Who else wanted "roof"? Duh!
36. Desert trial : N-TEST. 'K, nuff said.
37. Like non-hydrocarbon compounds : INORGANIC
38. Baseballer married to soccer's Mia : NOMAR. Garciaparra and Mia Hamm. For now...
39. Diving bird : GREBE. Pretty bird.
44. Mountain warble : YODEL. Finally, a music link. (You have to watch this one - she's incredible!) 2:26
45. Takes another look at, as a cold case : REOPENS
49. Small winds : FIFES. Classic, with drums. 8:06. Well worth watching!
50. Musical with the song "A New Argentina" : EVITA. What other musical is there, in Argentina? ("Finally, one I know!") 4:21
51. Divided into districts : ZONAL. I really wanted "zoned" for this one. That's what I get for trying to do "downs" before "acrosses"!
53. Till now : AS YET
54. Rapa ___: Easter Island : NUI. Recognize these?
57. "Peanuts" cry : RATS.
58. She met Rick in Paris : ILSA
60. UPS deliveries : PKGS. Abbr. for "packages". OK, b-cuz UPS is the abbr. of "United Parcel Service". Splynter's forté.
62. Carry a balance : OWE
63. Brush-off on the brae : NAE. "Brae" is the lowland Scots language word for the slope or the brow of a hill.
64. Reproductive cells : OVA. Plural of OVUM.
65. Homespun home : WEB. Another fun clue, not to be confused with internet milieu.
Answer grid.
That's all until next week, folks!
Hugs,
Marti
