(Note from C.C.: Due to a blog lock-down, we had to move to Ginger Roots blog to review the puzzle. Please click here to see our discussions on this crossword.)
THEME: Neurotic double reverse.
THEME: Neurotic double reverse.
Lemonade on a rare Thursday appearance so you did not end up with the constructor telling you how great her own puzzle is.
Wow! I think what happened is marti saw a combination of words, like SPIDER MAN (maybe from the release of the movie) and thought 'I wonder if people who afraid of spiders (arachnophobes) would be afraid of Spiderman?' Then she created this puzzle, where the poor neurotic was given a second problem, like the MAN in Spiderman would give you a HERMIT as someone who would neurotically avoid people. I think the fill came before the clues, which is where I see the reverse. To sum up each two word phrase, which represent a single stand alone concept, are broken in two and clued by a psychology term and an informal term for a behavior. Overall, not a terribly tough Thursday, but the intricate theme left lots of threes and fours, as well as couple of very hard clue/fill combos. let us see where miss m takes us.
18A. Double trouble...for a hydrophobic teetotaler? : WATER BOTTLE.(11) Hydro meaning water, and the bottle representing the receptacle for the alcohol.
29A. ...for an arachnophobic hermit? : SPIDER MAN.(9) Spiders are arachnids, from the Greek.
36A.. ...for a acrophobic wallflower? : SUMMIT MEETING.(13). I am acrophobic, because when I am up high I want to jump, parachute or not. Wallflowers do not like meeting people.
42A. ...for a xenphobic couch potato? : ALIEN RACE.(9) This is one lazy hater, who does not like foreigners, and will not go exercise.
53A. ...for an agoraphobic soldier? : PUBLIC ENEMY.(11). I have a friend who after staying home to raise her four children, actually got to the point she could not leave the house.
A different theme for sure, now to the rest.
Across:
1. Vintner's vessel : TUN. These large casks are also used in brewing beer. The liquid measure is equivalent to 252 gallons. Nice alliteration.
4. Avis rival : HERTZ. For all you sentimental people this AD.
9. Amazon.com nos. : ISBNS. International Standard Book Number, is becoming a common fill. The first initialism of the day.
14. Bearer of bear cubs, in Madrid : OSA. Spanish for a female bear, nicely crafted clue.
15. Cheri who impersonated Judge Judy on "Saturday Night Live" : OTERI. I found no links, you CD?
16. Gardener's transplant : GRAFT. Not Erle Stanley but the soil one.
17. Sales pro : REP. Well since pro is abbreviated, but are all reps pros?
20. Pueblo brick : ADOBE.
22. Stone unit : CARAT.
23. Dance that tells a story : HULA. They do tell a story LINK.(7:45).
24. Skyline haze : SMOG.
26. Id controller : EGO.Freud returns.
32. Chest-maker's wood : CEDAR.Not referring to an over-active plastic surgeon, but the old fashioned
35. Arduous : TAXING. Whew, that clue was taxing.
39. Make a meal of : DINE ON. An despite the fact the word comes from the Latin name for olives, I do not think you put any oleum on your toast.
40. Apportion : ALLOT.
41. Clubs: Abbr. : ASSNS. Associations.
46. Shtick : BIT. Do you appreciate this ONE.(8:03)
47. Long to be with : MISS. I often miss my miss.
48. This time only : ONCE. Like my blogging on a Thursday.
49. Smithy's tool : ANVIL. All I ever learned about anvils comes from TV westerns and roadrunner cartoons.
52. Harp (on) : DWELL. We do not need to beat this clue to death.
58. AAA freebie : MAP. Does anybody use paper maps anymore?
59. Rockers Van ___ : HALEN. The old DAYS. (4:02).
60. Not just odd : EERIE.
61. Online qualifier : IMO. In My Opinion.
62. Steel plow pioneer : DEERE. WH, as our farm expert, what do you think of John Deere products?
63. Creeps up on : NEARS. We are almost at the halfway point.
64. Fitting : APT. Time for a quick break.
Down:
1. Some ark contents : TORAHS.
2. Depleted : USED UP.
3. "Port near Vesuvio : NAPOLI. If you are interest in history, read this LINK, this is part of my eldest's area of study and the statistic that the 79 CE eruption was " hundred thousand times the thermal energy released by the Hiroshima bombing" is amazing.
4. "Battle Hymn of the Republic" lyricist : HOWE.
5. SFO posting : ETA.
6. On Soc. Sec. : RET.
7. 3-Down trio : TRE.
8. December stone : ZIRCON. If you think that month was gypped because they got a fae gemstone, there is a big difference between cubic zirconia and this STONE.
9. Yaroslavna's spouse, in a Borodin opera : IGOR.
10. Span. title : SRTA.
11. Driven home : BATTED IN. the BI in RBI.
12. Grp. for Jets, but not Sharks : NFL. National Football League. Tebowmania gone?
13. ___-Foy, Quebec : STE. Wow, is this obscure or what? First we have to use the French abbreviation for Sainte, while recalling a city which no longer exists. C'est tres difficile.
19. Purse : BAG.
21. It's not a good sign : BAD OMEN. Are we referring to the movie?
24. Tom Lehrer song : SMUT. Already linked in Argyle's write up.
25. Mice and men : MAMMALS
27. Sharks or Jets : GANG. West Side Story. (2:48)
28. Non-profit's URL ending : ORG.
30. "___ World": "Sesame Street" feature : ELMO'S.
31. Hold back : REIN. from horseback riding, or the other way around?
32. Williams title starter : CAT ON.
33. Seating offering more space : EXIT ROW.
35. Graph heading? : TELE. Not the column, the word.
36. Assent to a capitán : SI SI. More Spanish.
37. Shaky : UNSTABLE
38. Yale bowl cheerers : ELIs
39. Dollop : DAB
42. Quinn of "Annie" : AILEEN
43. Weak state : ANEMIA.
44. Workshop device : C CLAMP.
45. Sniggler's tool : EEL POT.
47. Stereo jack label : MICrophone.
50. Buc or Met : NLER.
51. Kudzo, for one : VINE.
52. Sources of some highlights : DYES.
53. Advanced deg. : PHD.
54. OPEC member : UAE.
55. Family tree word : NEE. From the French stem naître to be born, used for the birth name of females.
56. Chunk of history : ERA.
57. Fallen space station : MIR. Interesting PROJECT.
Lemonade
Notes from C.C.:
1) Sorry for the inconvenience earlier. You can click here to see our earlier discussions on the puzzle.
2) Happy 22nd wedding anniversary to Jazzbumpa (Ron) and his beautiful wife Gloria! Click here
for more pictures. Gloria's mom had another setback on Tuesday, but Ron
still wrote us a brilliant post with his usual wit and humor for
Wednesday's blog, despite all the stress. Thanks, Ron!
3) Say Hello to Kazie's beautiful granddaughter Lea Isabel. Click here for more. She was born at 2:37am this morning, German time.
