Theme: "Get the point?"
20-Across. *Web page index : SITE MAP.
22-Across. *Keep in touch! : WRITE ME.
47-Across. *Comics supervillain whose real name is Charles Brown : KITE MAN. An homage to the kite-flying Charlie Brown of "Peanuts."
4-Down. *Vampire victim's souvenir : BITE MARKS.
10-Down. *Chicken choice : WHITE MEAT.
And the unifier:
70. With 71-Across, what the answers to starred clues contain? : HIDDEN and 71. See 70-Across : AGENDA.
The theme entries had to have the asterisk, since there was 7, 8 and 9-letter non-theme fill in the grid. So as I was filling in answers, I couldn't help but notice the first words all ended in ITE, and the second words all started with M...(hmmm, I wonder where this is going?)
Unusual grid design with left-to-right symmetry, but not top-to-bottom. And we have a pangram! C.C. just did an interview with this young man on April 3rd.
Let's see what else Erik has dished out for us.
Across:
1. Invitation reminder letters : BYOB. "Bring your own bottle." Anything you say, Erik! Where's the party?
5. Tape player button : EJECT.
10. '80s pop duo with an exclamation point in its name : WHAM! Ah yes, the disco era...3:21
14. Renaissance painter Guido : RENI. Baroque master.
15. Indian city : DELHI. Five letters, so at least I could eliminate Agra!
16. Sharpen : HONE.
17. #2: Abbr. : ASST. Whaaa?? All I could think of was a #2 pencil. (Comes from doing too many crosswords, I guess.)
18. Like some checking accounts : NO FEE.
19. Cry after being tagged : I'M IT!
24. Start of a boast : I CAME...I saw, I conquered.
25. "Middle of Nowhere" director DuVernay : AVA. She won Best Director at the Sundance film festival for it.
27. Prohibit : DEBAR. Hands up for "estop?"
28. Restaurant survey creator : ZAGAT.
29. Tease : RIB.
30. Smacked, biblically : SMOTE.
31. Steven Chu's Cabinet dept. : ENER.gy
32. Mononymous "Rumor Has It" singer : ADELE. You know I have to link it! 3:43
34. Used peepers on : EYED.
35. "Firework" singer Perry : KATY. Anyone else fill in "Como" without thinking? DUH! It's the 21st century, people. Here's the song. 3:54
37. Exile isle : ELBA.
39. Debacle : FIASCO. Great word!
42. Soda buys : LITERS.
46. Mac interface : OSX. "Operating System 10." I wonder how many PC users would know that?
51. Start to push? : PEE. No, it's not bathroom humor. We are simply looking for the first letter of "push" here.
52. Clarified butter : GHEE.
54. "___ Believer":'60s hit : I'M A. Ear worm from the sixties. 2:35
55. Retailer T.J. ___ : MAXX.
56. Knock out of contention : ELIMINATE.
61. Personal partner? : UP CLOSE. "Up close and personal."
64. It goes around the world : EQUATOR.
68. Flat container : SHOE BOX. Great clue! "Flats" are a type of ladies shoe.
69. Ice cream treats : SUNDAES.
Down:
1. Lingerie spec : BRA SIZE. The gents would tar and feather me if I didn't link one of these.
2. "Absolutely!" : YES I CAN.
3. Treading the boards : ON STAGE.
5. Flamboyant Dame : EDNA. Oh, I dunno. She looks pretty normal to me.
6. Where to find a lot of answers? : JEOPARDY. Another nice clue.
7. Impish sort : ELF.
8. Like some vitamins : CHEWABLE.
9. Cake level : TIER.
11. Inner city buddy : HOME BOY. Anyone else want "main man?"
12. Produce, as cartoons : ANIMATE.
13. Like most cabs : METERED.
21. Was introduced to : MET.
23. Passports, e.g. : IDs.
26. Contend : VIE.
32. Yours, in Tours : A TOI.
33. Big name in scat : ELLA. Another era heard from. I believe this is # 5 for today.
36. Cry from Cathy of comics :
38. Trash repository : BIN.
39. Weather for low beams : FOG.
40. Moderating suffix : ISH. "I'm fifty-ish..." (OK, that might be stretching it, rather than moderating it.)
41. Terminate : AXE.
43. Green org. : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.
I liked the progression of the next three answers:
44. T. ___ : REX.
45. What F or M may denote : SEX.
48. "It takes a licking..." watch : TIMEX.
49. U.K. record label : EMI. Electric and Musical Industries. Probably best known as the record label of The Beatles, but they had a couple other notable names under their belt, as well. ;-)
50. Leonine neck features : MANES.
53. Sought morays : EELED. Nothing about sniggling?
55. Gettysburg general : MEADE.
57. Brain part : LOBE.
58. "And the race ___!" : IS ON.
59. Blue hue : AQUA.
60. Mao Tse-___ : TUNG.
61. Seat, in slang : USH. Change the "s" to a "g" for me.
62. NYG NFL rival : PHI.ladelphia and the New York Giants of the National Football League.
63. Fish-and-chips fish : COD. I like haddock in my fish-and-chips!
65. Basking goal : TAN.
66. Where age always goes before beauty, briefly : OED. Alphabetically, that is. Oxford English Dictionary.
67. The ANC's country : RSA. African National Congress, Republic of South Africa.
'Til next week!
Hugs,
Marti
