Theme: VILLAGE PEOPLE (36A. Disco-era group known for the starts of 18-, 20-, 54- and 57-Across). Y, M, C, A starts each theme entry.
18A. What makes a man a man : Y CHROMOSOME. So what came to your mind first?
20A. 1988 Tony-winning play inspired by a Puccini work : M BUTTERFLY. Inspired by Puccini's Madama Butterfly. See here. Read the plot. Astonishing. Are you guys familiar with Beijing opera? In old days, the females were all played by males.
54A. Duracell R14's : C BATTERIES
57A. First of a planned 26-book mystery series : A IS FOR ALIBI
C.C. here. Melissa gets intermittent power due to excessive heat in CA, so I'm here to sub.
I
made this puzzle sometime last summer, so I could not remember the
details. Ideally the reveal entry should be placed as the last theme
entry. But VILLAGE PEOPLE has 13 letters, so it could not go to the
standard Row 13, hence its current middle row.
I normally don't stack theme entries as they often force compromised fill. But stacked this one due to necessity.
I
mentioned before that Rich always changes at least 50% of my clues. He
adds interesting trivia. He corrects my grammatical errors. He
succinctly expresses what I try to say in a long-winded way. He just
adds so much color to my puzzles and always makes me look better.
Across:
1. Close one : PAL
4. Stout sellers : PUBS. I had "Stout spots" originally.
8. Archie Bunker's wife : EDITH. I had Edith Head reference.
13. Its members employ hygienists: Abbr. : ADA
14. Six-time All-Star Moises : ALOU
15. Transit systems in Delhi and Paris : METROS. I had no "Delhi" in. I'm prone to grammar mistakes.
17. Campfire seat : LOG
22. Parroted : APED
23. Golf course regular, often : SENIOR. Yep! Husker Gary and Boomer.
24. Backpacked beast : ASS
26. Hard water? : ICE. Repeat of a clever clue some other constructors used before. But worth repeating. It's good.
27. Fan mail encl. : SAE (Self-Addressed Envelope)
28. Noisy bird : JAY
30. NATO alphabet word after November : OSCAR. Originally just "O, in NATO alphabet".
32. Reef material : CORAL. I had the nail color reference. I was obsessed with coral last summer.
35. Sanctuary sections : ALTARS
39. Subject of the sports film "42" : RACISM. Great clue. I referred "American History X".
40. Nemo's creator : VERNE
41. Obviously impressed : AGAPE. You were impressed I had the dreaded A* words, right?
42. Just out of the shower : WET
43. You, to Yves : TOI
46. Scathing review : PAN
47. Tandoori bread : NAN. In China, the Muslims spell it as NANG.
49. Get even for : AVENGE
52. Span. miss : SRTA. My clue "She's available in Barcelona, briefly".
59. NHL tiebreakers : OTs
60. Use a ring in a crib : TEETHE. I had "Need a ring?". Does not make sense now.
61. Devastated Asian sea : ARAL. I had a wordy "Lake that lost 75% of its water volume since 1960".
62. "Are We Done Yet?" actress Long : NIA
63. Baseball features : SEAMS. I had "Baseball bracelet features", since I have a beautiful #33 baseball bracelet.
64. Pulls in : NETS
65. Muddy home : STY. I had "Home, sweet home, for pigs". And 38D. Four-footed friend : PET. My clue: "Pig, to Clooney".
Down:
1. Where to find dates : PALMS
2. Pueblo homes : ADOBES
3. __ Beach: Southern California resort : LAGUNA
4. Words before "the order of" : PAY TO
5. Stress-related ailment, possibly : ULCER
6. Physics Nobelist Niels : BOHR
7. Wander online : SURF
8. Ed Asner has seven : EMMYS. That's a record for a male actor.
9. "Gloria in Excelsis __" : DEO
10. "__ ripoff!" : IT'S A
11. Like many bright aquarium fish : TROPICAL. I clued it as "Like the weather in Bangkok." Steamy there. "... One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble..."
12. Post-hospital recovery program : HOME CARE
16. Matzo meals : SEDERS
19. Big name in facial cleansers : OLAY. Facial cleaners, scrubs, defoliators, toners, eye gels, eye creams... It's not easy to be a woman.
21. Accessory with a suit : TIE CLIP
25. Athenian lawgiver : SOLON
28. Binge : JAG
29. Painkiller with an Easy Open Arthritis Cap : ALEVE. Rich's clue. I simply had "Arthritis pill".
31. Heaven's gatekeeper : ST. PETER
33. Designer Mary-Kate or Ashley : OLSEN. I had "Boho Chic icon Mary-Kate ". She's probably still a kid in your mind. But she and Sienna Miller inspired this whole Boho Chic style.
34. Chrysler truck : RAM
35. __ Lingus : AER
36. Unpredictable occurrences : VAGARIES. "Vagaries of life". Boomer said I could not pluralize "Vagary". I just ignored him.
37. Complaint about blocked vision : I CAN'T SEE
39. Knocks on : RAPS AT
42. Minnesota Lynx org. : WNBA. Oh man, I thought this is my clue as a shout-out to our MN team. But it's not. I had "Org. for some female guards". Thanks, Rich! The Lynx and Timberwolves have the same owner.
44. Risotto ingredients : ONIONS
45. "That makes sense" : I GET IT
48. Ranch measures : ACRES
49. Awaiting a pitch : AT BAT. I had "Up time".
50. Facial cover-ups : VEILS. I did not have extra "Facial".
51. Swift work : ESSAY. Rich's clue.
53. Old Spice rival : AFTA
55. King of comedy : ALAN
56. Lose steam : TIRE
58. Electrical unit symbolized by omega : OHM
C.C.
