Theme: POP! goes the puzzle...
17-Across. Pop : CARBONATED DRINK.
26-Across. Pop : PUNCTURING SOUND.
43-Across. Pop : WARHOL'S ART STYLE.
56-Across. Pop : TOOTSIE ROLL ITEM.
Jeffrey also has a puzzle in today's New York Times - a rare occurrence for a constructor. Congratulations, Jeffrey!
Four fifteen-letter theme entries have totally different meanings for the simple word "pop." And we have a fifth fifteen-letter entry that has nothing to do with the theme, at 7-Down. Outdoor security options : EXTERIOR CAMERAS. Did that throw anyone off?
Four fifteen-letter theme entries have totally different meanings for the simple word "pop." And we have a fifth fifteen-letter entry that has nothing to do with the theme, at 7-Down. Outdoor security options : EXTERIOR CAMERAS. Did that throw anyone off?
Really easy puzzle, for a Thursday. I flew through it in just over my typical Monday time. Let's see what I missed...
Across:
1. Dot-___ printer : MATRIX. We used to have to put these noisemakers in a special room. The sound of them running payroll on Fridays was deafening.
7. Hash house sign : EATS.
11. Org. that financed many public murals : WPA. Works Progress Administration (Later renamed Work Projects Administration). One of the lesser-known aspects of Roosevelt's New Deal program. I wanted this to be NEA, but that one comes later in the grid...
14. Brand with a Justice for Potatoes League : ORE-IDA. Because "Lays" was too short.
15. Inside information? : X-RAY. Fun clue.
16. Ancient pillager : HUN.
20. Air France-___: European flier : KLM. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij. Literally, "Royal Aviation Society," better known as "Royal Dutch Airlines." (And yes, I did have to look up the spelling of "Royal" ;-D)
21. Cathedral areas : NAVES. Apses/Naves always have to wait on perps.
22. Place in a 1969 western : ETTA. Etta Place was the name of the schoolteacher that took up with Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Great misdirection! (Couldn't resist...)
23. Tech staff member : CODER.
24. Camel hair colors : TANS.
32. Bat mitzvah locale : SHUL.
33. Bands from Japan : OBIS.
34. Gp. concerned with dropout prevention : NEA. Ah, there it is. But wait! It's not the National Endowment for the Arts that I thought of for 11-Across, but the National Education Association.
35. Run smoothly : HUM.
36. Condor's booster : UPDRAFT. Haha, I was thinking of a rocket, until I imagined that the condor might not appreciate such a "boost."
39. Ruckus : DIN.
40. "___ you sure?" : ARE.
41. Charcutier offering : PORC. Pork, in a French butcher shop.
42. 2010 Angelina Jolie spy film : SALT. Never heard of this movie. Any good?
48. "Sooey!" reply : OINK.
49. "Goodness gracious!" : MERCY.
50. Kitty's sunny sleeping spot : SILL.
52. TV and radio : MEDIA.
53. Toulouse : oeil :: Toledo : ___ : OJO. French and Spanish "eye".
60. An official lang. of Kenya : ENG.lish.
61. The "a" in "a=lw" : AREA.= length x width. (Bill G., are you proud of me?)
62. First word of Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride" : "LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear..."
63. Technique : WAY.
64. Chews the fat : YAKS.
65. First step toward nirvana : SATORI. Learned from crossword puzzles.
Down:
1. Poke fun at : MOCK. 4-Down. Poke fun at : RIB. 54-Down. Poke fun (at) : JEER.
2. Shrinking sea : ARAL. Despite the efforts of Kazakhstan with funding from the World Bank to reverse the trend.
3. Duration : TERM.
5. Defensive denial : I DO NOT! (Response to "You always leave the toilet seat up!")
6. Second word of Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" : XANADU. "In XANADU did Kubla Khan / a stately pleasure dome decree..."
8. Battling god : ARES.
9. Itty bit : TAD.
10. Pink Floyd's Barrett : SYD. Here's one of his classics. 4:13
11. Pentecost : WHIT SUNDAY. The name is a shortening of the word "White," and refers to the Holy Ghost descending on the apostles.
12. Flat-bottomed boat : PUNT.
"Two Women Asleep in a Punt Under the Willows" by John Singer Sargent |
13. "Put your Head on My Shoulder" singer : ANKA. Hard to believe that this one was just four years before 10-Down. 2:42
18. Claim with conviction : AVER.
19. Truckee River city : RENO.
23. II into D : CCL.
24. "Yay, the weekend!" : TGIF. "Thank goodness it's Friday!"
25. Short right hand? : ASST. "Short" for ASSistanT.
26. "Balderdash!" : PSHAW.
27. Chekov bridgemate : UHURA. Star Trek.
28. Quantitative "science"? : NUMEROLOGY. Nice fill.
29. Bulls' org. : NBA. National Basketball Association. Chicago's team.
30. "Jurassic Park" co-star : NEILL. Sam Neill played Dr. Alan Grant.
31. Father of modern Italian, per linguists : DANTE.
36. Very soon after : UPON.
37. President between Tyler and Taylor : POLK.
38. No and Who: Abbr. : DRs. Neat misdirection.
42. Messy room : STY.
44. Excalibur part : HILT.
45. Change the colors of, say : REDO. I want to re-do my bedroom, but can't decide on a color. I just can't 57. Put into words : SAY. the look I'm going for.
46. Wavy lines, in music : TRILLS. Like this.
47. Justice who's the son of an Italian immigrant : SCALIA. Alito is also the son of an Italian immigrant.
50. Get into a lather : STEW.
51. New Rochelle college : IONA.
52. Overly submissive : MEEK.
53. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO. I really have to watch that show someday...
55. Intro to science? : OMNI. I was thinking of high school courses. (Hey, I'm not omniscient!)
58. It's usually FDIC-insured : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
59. Bassoon end? : IST. Bassoonist. And that's the end of my story!
Hugs,
Marti
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to dear Kazie, the language expert on our blog. Kazie grew up in Sydney, Australia. She has been living in Wisconsin the past two decades. (Correction: Kay has been here since 1974.) She speaks fluent French & German and is always the first person I go to whenever I have a linguistic problem.
Barry (Kazie's husband), Hemingway & Kazie, Spain, 2012 |