Theme: Lost in translation....
20 Across. Prickly undergrowth : THORN BUSH
24 Across. Prop for a safety briefing : SEAT BELT
52 Across. It's often a tough cut : STEW MEAT
60 Across. Verbally overwhelm : SHOUT DOWN
And the unifier:
40 Across. They lead you astray...and what the starts of 20-, 24-, 52- and 60-Across are? : WRONG DIRECTIONS. Aaah, our master of mis-direction and anagrams has done it again! Each of the first words of the theme entries is an anagram of the cardinal compass points: NORTH (thorn), EAST (seat), WEST (stew) and SOUTH (shout). Brilliant theme, and well-executed. Jerome had me guessing all through this one!! (I hope you will summon the strength to join us today, Jerome!)
Marti here, so it must be getting close to the weekend again? I am already in party mode, so let's get cracking on this beaut...
Across:
1. Cask stopper : BUNG. My favorite cask stopper, but better when removed from the keg! and 26A. Brewer's vessel : VAT...I am beginning to sense a mini-theme here?!
5. Conquest for Caesar : GAUL. Who wanted "vici"?
9. Serbs, e.g. : SLAVS
14. School that expelled James Bond : ETON. For making martinis shaken, not stirred?
15. Gustav Mahler's wife : ALMA. Not his mater?
16. Hilarious person : PANIC. A real knee-slapper! Unusual clue for a typically frightened reaction, but decidedly more fun!
17. Grandmotherly nickname : NANA. I called my grandmother "Mémé".
18. Protective trench : MOAT
19. Miguel's gal : AMIGA. Spanish for "girlfriend".
22. Pine secretion : RESIN
23. More than te-hee, online : LOL. Laugh Out Loud!
29. Implore : BEG. I beg you to stay with me on this...
31. Wheels : CAR
32. Mideast language : FARSI
34. Finish a gymnastics routine, perhaps : LAND. My flying instructor threw cold water on my elation at taking off in a Cessna for the first time...he said, "Yes, taking off is easy. It's the landing that's hard!"
37. Toward the stern : AFT
44. Brian of Roxy Music : ENO. Musical interlude. 4:07 (If you can stand it...)
45. "Yeah, sure" : I BET
46. Surpass : ONE UP
47. Washed-out : WAN
49. Bob Marley genre : SKA. OK, this is more my style! 2:45 (Caution: ear worm!!)
51. Place in considerable disarray : STY. Funny cartoon.
57. Fighting Tigers' sch. : LSU. Louisiana State University. I hope hurricane Isaac was kind to them.
59. Ness and others : LOCHS. Is there a monster lurking in there?
65. Dim : UNLIT
66. Small pie : TART
67. Time for action : D-DAY
69. Mother of Don Juan : INEZ
70. Kerry's home : EIRE. I thought he had a home on Beacon Hill??
71. Much of the RMS Queen Mary, now : HOTEL. Interesting You-Tube video and musical accompaniment of the conversion. 5:34. The composition accompanying the video is by Henry Purcell (1695), and is a march from the "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary".
72. Bank (on) : RELY
73. "Seasons of Love" musical : RENT. Great song! 2:58
Down:
1. Not in good shape? : BENT. Great clue!
2. Natural Bridges locale : UTAH and 68-Across: 2-Down, for one : STATE
3. Second helping, to a dieter : NO-NO. Anyone else think of "Nanette"?
4. Twist : GNARL
5. Long shot, say : GAMBLE. Hey, if I lost my shirt at Saratoga, it wasn't on a long shot!!
6. Baseball's Moises : ALOU. Can I tell you, that this name has finally sunk in, and I actually remembered it?
7. It has a campus near the JFK Library : U-MASS. Gimme!!
8. Turning tool : LATHE
9. Ancient Athens rival : SPARTA. Filled it in, without a second thought.
10. Nitwit : LAME BRAIN. Fun fill, Jerome!
11. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. Oh my - I just used this same clue in a puzzle I was constructing today. (Note to self: "Find different clue for 'anise'...")
12. Watch : VIGIL
13. Barely sufficient : SCANT. Like this?
21. Slangy "Don't worry about it" : NO BIG (deal)
25. "High Voltage" rockers : AC-DC. Another fav musical interlude! 4:15 (What can I say? I have eclectic tastes in music...) Speaking of music, which Verdi opera did you watch last night, Misty? Aida? La Traviata? Rigoletto?...
26. Ex-GIs' org. : VFW. Veterans of Foreign Wars
27. Bern's river : AARE
28. 1982 sci-fi film : TRON
30. Superficially fluent : GLIB
33. Grumpy friend? : SNOW WHITE. Also, Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful or Dopey.
35. Exist : ARE
36. Mosquito protection : NETS. Nah, I still say my handy-dandy fly swatter does the trick better!
38. Unfriendly types : FOES
39. Fastener named for its shape : T-NUT
41. Have supper : DINE
42. Wedding reception highlight : TOAST
43. Catch sight of : SPY
48. Heineken brand : AMSTEL
50. All thumbs : KLUTZY. Great fill!
52. Winter puddle cause : SLUSH. All too soon, here in the Northeast...
53. Scout master? : TONTO. Old-timey clue. Remember Tonto's horse, "Scout"?
20 Across. Prickly undergrowth : THORN BUSH
24 Across. Prop for a safety briefing : SEAT BELT
52 Across. It's often a tough cut : STEW MEAT
60 Across. Verbally overwhelm : SHOUT DOWN
And the unifier:
40 Across. They lead you astray...and what the starts of 20-, 24-, 52- and 60-Across are? : WRONG DIRECTIONS. Aaah, our master of mis-direction and anagrams has done it again! Each of the first words of the theme entries is an anagram of the cardinal compass points: NORTH (thorn), EAST (seat), WEST (stew) and SOUTH (shout). Brilliant theme, and well-executed. Jerome had me guessing all through this one!! (I hope you will summon the strength to join us today, Jerome!)
Marti here, so it must be getting close to the weekend again? I am already in party mode, so let's get cracking on this beaut...
Across:
1. Cask stopper : BUNG. My favorite cask stopper, but better when removed from the keg! and 26A. Brewer's vessel : VAT...I am beginning to sense a mini-theme here?!
5. Conquest for Caesar : GAUL. Who wanted "vici"?
9. Serbs, e.g. : SLAVS
14. School that expelled James Bond : ETON. For making martinis shaken, not stirred?
15. Gustav Mahler's wife : ALMA. Not his mater?
16. Hilarious person : PANIC. A real knee-slapper! Unusual clue for a typically frightened reaction, but decidedly more fun!
17. Grandmotherly nickname : NANA. I called my grandmother "Mémé".
18. Protective trench : MOAT
19. Miguel's gal : AMIGA. Spanish for "girlfriend".
22. Pine secretion : RESIN
23. More than te-hee, online : LOL. Laugh Out Loud!
29. Implore : BEG. I beg you to stay with me on this...
31. Wheels : CAR
32. Mideast language : FARSI
34. Finish a gymnastics routine, perhaps : LAND. My flying instructor threw cold water on my elation at taking off in a Cessna for the first time...he said, "Yes, taking off is easy. It's the landing that's hard!"
37. Toward the stern : AFT
44. Brian of Roxy Music : ENO. Musical interlude. 4:07 (If you can stand it...)
45. "Yeah, sure" : I BET
46. Surpass : ONE UP
47. Washed-out : WAN
49. Bob Marley genre : SKA. OK, this is more my style! 2:45 (Caution: ear worm!!)
51. Place in considerable disarray : STY. Funny cartoon.
57. Fighting Tigers' sch. : LSU. Louisiana State University. I hope hurricane Isaac was kind to them.
59. Ness and others : LOCHS. Is there a monster lurking in there?
65. Dim : UNLIT
66. Small pie : TART
67. Time for action : D-DAY
69. Mother of Don Juan : INEZ
70. Kerry's home : EIRE. I thought he had a home on Beacon Hill??
71. Much of the RMS Queen Mary, now : HOTEL. Interesting You-Tube video and musical accompaniment of the conversion. 5:34. The composition accompanying the video is by Henry Purcell (1695), and is a march from the "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary".
72. Bank (on) : RELY
73. "Seasons of Love" musical : RENT. Great song! 2:58
Down:
1. Not in good shape? : BENT. Great clue!
2. Natural Bridges locale : UTAH and 68-Across: 2-Down, for one : STATE
3. Second helping, to a dieter : NO-NO. Anyone else think of "Nanette"?
4. Twist : GNARL
5. Long shot, say : GAMBLE. Hey, if I lost my shirt at Saratoga, it wasn't on a long shot!!
6. Baseball's Moises : ALOU. Can I tell you, that this name has finally sunk in, and I actually remembered it?
7. It has a campus near the JFK Library : U-MASS. Gimme!!
8. Turning tool : LATHE
9. Ancient Athens rival : SPARTA. Filled it in, without a second thought.
10. Nitwit : LAME BRAIN. Fun fill, Jerome!
11. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. Oh my - I just used this same clue in a puzzle I was constructing today. (Note to self: "Find different clue for 'anise'...")
12. Watch : VIGIL
13. Barely sufficient : SCANT. Like this?
21. Slangy "Don't worry about it" : NO BIG (deal)
25. "High Voltage" rockers : AC-DC. Another fav musical interlude! 4:15 (What can I say? I have eclectic tastes in music...) Speaking of music, which Verdi opera did you watch last night, Misty? Aida? La Traviata? Rigoletto?...
26. Ex-GIs' org. : VFW. Veterans of Foreign Wars
27. Bern's river : AARE
28. 1982 sci-fi film : TRON
30. Superficially fluent : GLIB
33. Grumpy friend? : SNOW WHITE. Also, Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful or Dopey.
35. Exist : ARE
36. Mosquito protection : NETS. Nah, I still say my handy-dandy fly swatter does the trick better!
38. Unfriendly types : FOES
39. Fastener named for its shape : T-NUT
41. Have supper : DINE
42. Wedding reception highlight : TOAST
43. Catch sight of : SPY
48. Heineken brand : AMSTEL
50. All thumbs : KLUTZY. Great fill!
52. Winter puddle cause : SLUSH. All too soon, here in the Northeast...
53. Scout master? : TONTO. Old-timey clue. Remember Tonto's horse, "Scout"?
54. Elaborate display : ÉCLAT. Direct from the French "éclat", meaning "radiance" or "brilliance".
55. Up and at 'em : ASTIR
56. Scottish feudal lord : THANE. "The thane of fife had a wife..." (Name that play!)
58. Milker's handful : UDDER. Oh, I could go "udder-ly" DF here...but, it is all done by machines now.
61. Hurler Hershiser : OREL. More baseball. He was a 1988 Dodger's pitcher who went 59 consecutive innings without giving up a single run. Impressive!
62. Large-tongued comics dog : ODIE
63. Wave a red flag at : WARN
64. Nikita's no : NYET. Am I done nyet?
Answer grid.
Hugs,
Marti
