(Note from C.C.: It's Jazzbumpa's turn today, but Steve blogged today's puzzle also. So a rare double treat for us! Jazzbumpa first, then Steve.)
Theme: My mom is one - TWINS. Each starred clue is answered by one of a brace of famous real or mythical twins. The crossing theme answer is the other twin of the pair. Further, one of these twins is indicated by a two-word answer in which the second word is a red herring, while the other is a simple one-word name, clued in a way that should specifically identify the set of TWINS in question.
Theme: My mom is one - TWINS. Each starred clue is answered by one of a brace of famous real or mythical twins. The crossing theme answer is the other twin of the pair. Further, one of these twins is indicated by a two-word answer in which the second word is a red herring, while the other is a simple one-word name, clued in a way that should specifically identify the set of TWINS in question.
17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK. I haven't watched this series, so it took a lot of perp help.
2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU. JACOB's TWIN. Isaac's non-identical twin sons are both frequent crossword denizens. You know the story.
23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY-KATE. Tricky, since the roll was shared by both of these TWINS.
11. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD.
As this point, having only half sussed the theme, I'm thinking - wait!
The Judd sisters aren't twins! But MARY KATE and ASHLEY Olsen are.
They have since grown up, or at least gotten older.
45 A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX. I did not know that.
28 D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN.
CASTOR OIL, of course. I don't recall ever being subjected to this
cure. CASTOR and POLLUX in Greek mythology, present a confusing case. Per Wikipedia: "Their
mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king
of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who seduced or raped Leda
in the guise of a swan (Greek myths concerning divine sex are often
vague on the issue of female consent)." That's more than I can
comprehend. Better still, Helen also had a TWIN, the unfortunately
named Clytemnestra. CASTOR and POLLUX are also the brightest stars in
the constellation Gemini, and a pet products brand.
59 A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN.
This takes me back to my ute. But back in the day [1961] this was a
hit recording for the Regents. The Beach Boys cover came later.
44 D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA.
BARBARA and JENNA are the daughters of former President George W. Bush,
and clearly non-identical TWINS. They also got older. Here they are
with their mom, former first lady Laura Bush.
And the unifier: 64 A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS. C.C.'s home baseball team is not having a good year. They play three games against the Tigers next Mon.- Wed.
It took me quite a while to find C.C.'s wavelength. But wow - eight paired, crossing theme entries, with the long theme entries in perfect symmetry, plus a unifier stacked below
the last horizontal theme fill. Also, two TWIN sets are male and two are
female. I don't even want to think about what it took to put this
together.
Hi gang, a very impressed JazzBumpa here. Let's see what else C.C. has in store for us the rest of the way.
Across:
1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN. Along the west coast of Africa where it takes a big sweep to the east.
6. "Look over here!" : PSST. Sibilant attention getter.
10.
CSNY member : NASH. Of course I should know what CSNY is, and of
course, I didn't. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, famous for their
tight harmonies. Back to my ute again.
14. Private line? : ASIDE. A stage line spoken to the audience, not the other players.
15.
Elevator man : OTIS. In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the elevator safety
brake. Now, 160 years later, his company's products are used in over
200 countries around the world.
16. "It's clear now" : I SEE
19. Genghis __ : KHAN. No relation to Madelaine.
20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL. Jane
21. Former SSR : UKR. The Ukraine.
22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS.
26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP
31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS
33. Some crowns : TIARAS
34. Desert tableland : MESA. Spanish for "table."
35. Blue bird : JAY
37. Looking for a fight : TESTY
38. Suffix with infer : IOR This, I believe, is pushing it.
39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE
41. Bar bowl item : NUT
42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO
44. 2007 "American Idol" winner Sparks : JORDIN. Pretty obscure.
47.
Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. This took some thought. It means
omitting a sound or syllable in a spoken word. I heard it in my ute.
48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN
51. Drifters : HOBOS
53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN
54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI
58. Short race, briefly : ONE K. One kilometer, about .6 miles.
62. Ruse : SCAM. Phoney business.
63. Duel tool : EPEE. The most common crossword weapon.
65. Funny Dame : EDNA. Dame EDNA Everage is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries. That's all I know.
66.
Bombs : DUDS. Funny how language twists. "A bomb" is a failure, but
"THE bomb" is something really cool, while a "bomb" can blow you away.
67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP. Other definitions are possible.
Down:
1. __ California : BAJA. Spanish for "lower." The peninsula extending south from CA is part of Mexico.
3. "Great shot!" : NICE. Well done
4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL. Today's star, tomorrow's has-been.
5. Lincoln's st. : NEB. Nebraska. Gary can tell us all about it.
6. Beer garden music : POLKA. Oom-pah!
7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. Bart, QB for the Packers.
8. [Not my error] : SIC. Short for sic erat scriptum, "thus was it written." Used when something in a quote looks not quite right.
9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK. Comic book admonition.
10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA. Famous shoe banger. Or maybe not.
12. Corporate emblem : SEAL. I wanted LOGO.
13. Egg sources : HENS.
18. Bruises partner : BUMPS. They go together.
22. Shade provider : PARASOL. I wanted ELM TREE.
24. North Sea feeder : YSER. I didn't know what I wanted.
25. Naut. speed units : KTS. Knots. Wikipedia again: The knot (pronounced not) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile (1.852 km) per hour, approximately 1.151 mph
26. Env. router : ATTN. Abrv. for attention, often used on inter-office communication envelopes.
27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP. Or deliberately leave your golf shot short of a hazard.
29. Part of MOMA : ART. The Museum of Modern ART.
30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS. Big scandal back in my ute.
32. Composer Erik : SATIE. French.
34. Cattle call : MOO. Of the cattle, not to the cattle.
36. Hankerings : YENS. I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the YEN to travel.
38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS
40. First name in shipping : ARI. Onassis.
43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD. Family strife, sexual tension and diseased cattle on a Texas ranch.
46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA. Followed by "No hands!" and CRASH!
49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED. Why not? It's a festive color.
50. Taunts : GIBES
51. Garden waterer : HOSE
52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD. Probably the next music presentation format to become obsolete.
54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT. A puddy tat. Tweety Bird
55. It may have highlights : HAIR.
56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.
57.
Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP. Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the
bumbling police detective played by Peter Sellers. A portrayal by any
other actor is a SCAM and a fraud.
59. Place to sleep : BED. Or plant flowers
60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU. He runs the Kwik-E-Mart on the Simpson's TV show.
61. ACLU concerns : RTS. Rights, not routes, except for the one to the court house.
There you have it. This puzzle did not BOMB. In fact, I'd say it was THE bomb.
Cool regards!
JzB
****************
More from C.C.:
Some of you solved the "Crosswords with Friends" puzzle I put on the blog last Sunday. George Barany & Friends specially made it for the Will Shortz event. I chucked (Edited later: I meant "chuckled", D-Otto, :-), I'm amazing like that!) reading his comments on the TWINS clue change. See here (almost the bottom).
I submitted this puzzle in February and it was accepted in May, long before the Twins traded Morneau. Sigh. Go Pirates!
****************
Theme: Double Vision: Squint a little further and there's another solve right there!
17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK
2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU: And a very expensive bowl of soup.
23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY KATE
11D. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD.
And a very expensive backpack - $55,000 anyone? To be fair, Ms. Judd
had nothing to do with this. A reference to the Olsen twins.
45A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX
28D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN: You really should look these two up. Not appropriate for family viewing.
59A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN
44D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA: POTUS 41 offspring.
64A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS
Just because I love saying "Miiiinesodda" - here's POTUS 40 announcing a Twins game back in 1935:
Hi
everyone - Steve again. Was this just me or was this a really tough
Wednesday? I was picking around the corners, I couldn't see a theme,
there were names, names, names .. these are the puzzles I love - I know I
can ....... just ...... get ...... there ..... if ....... I .... keep
...... at ......it. Oh, then I see it's a C.C teaser. Thanks, I swear
she does it just to keep all the regulars honest!
Across:
1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN. I know that, I drive that road every day. Ummm.
6. "Look over here!" : PSST
10. CSNY member : NASH.
Now this was thoroughly obscure for me. I was thinking "C whatever
State New York" University- Nash College? Oh no, wildly wrong. Crosby,
Stills, Nash and Young. My bad.
14. Private line? : ASIDE
15. Elevator man : OTIS
16. "It's clear now" : I SEE
19. Genghis __ : KHAN
20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL. A thoroughly opportune vowel combination to guarantee crossword immortality! The book isn't bad, either.
21. Former SSR : UKR. My
swim coach Dmitri is from the Ukraine, and coached for the Soviet
Socialist Republics before he realized is was better to move to sunny
SoCal and coach me.
22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS
26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP
31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS They strut, those stray cats ....
33. Some crowns : TIARAS
34. Desert tableland : MESA
35. Blue bird : JAY
37. Looking for a fight : TESTY
38. Suffix with infer : IOR, Hmmmmmm , not a fan of this one - it's not really a suffix infer/inferior - ah not the same thing
39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE Food! Yay! I sautéd some shrimp for dinner tonight
41. Bar bowl item : NUT.
Don't eat the nuts on the bar unless you've seen them poured and you've
had the only hands in them. I won't gross you out by explaining.
42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO. After you find out about the nuts on the bar.
44. 2007 "American Idol" winner Sparks : JORDIN. Perps.
47. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. I finally got this one after YEARS of telling myself to remember it. And I needed it for a whole bunch of crosses
48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN
The ones in my native Ireland are not always too helpful as Irish Miss and Mari can affirm:
51. Drifters : HOBOS
53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN
54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI
58. Short race, briefly : ONE K,
I'm running a 5K in November in November as a prelude to a triathlon in
San Diego in January. It's been mmmmnmmnmm years since I've run to the
store, so it'll be interesting.
62. Ruse : SCAM
63. Duel tool : EPEE
65. Funny Dame : EDNA. Dame Edna Everage. Here she is in all her glory:
66. Bombs : DUDS. There's a lot of folks wished the bombs they heard were duds.
67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP
Down:
1. __ California : BAJA. Just south of me, and a wonderful place to go. Don't believe everything you read in the papers.
3. "Great shot!" : NICE
4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL
5. Lincoln's st. : NEB. Lincoln the town, not the President - he was born in Kentucky, not Nebraska.
6. Beer garden music : POLKA. It's
Oktoberfest very soon - get ready to polka! Which is odd, as the polka
is Polish, but what the hey! Drink beer and dance with a green hat and a
feather!
7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. This Green Bay Quarterback also goes by BART, which fits nicely into a puzzle grid when the Simpsons are getting tired.
8. [Not my error] : SIC. Ooops
9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK. [Sorry, not my error]
10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA
12. Corporate emblem : SEAL
13. Egg sources : HENS
18. Bruises partner : BUMPS
22. Shade provider : PARASOL
24. North Sea feeder : YSER. Not a fish, the Belgian river. Look, here's an Argyle-style explanation:
Oh wait, that's London - never mind
25. Naut. speed units : KTS. A
knot is one nautical mile, and it is a precise division of the earth's
circumference at it's equator. Lots of nice theme words and a bit of
Scrabble in there!
26. Env. router : ATTN. Yeah, you lost me here.
27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP. Nope. I stay up. When I can can't get up I lie in. Sorry!
29. Part of MOMA : ART. The wonderful Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I spent a day there lost in everything.
30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS
32. Composer Erik : SATIE. You've probably heard this but it's wonderful
34. Cattle call : MOO
36. Hankerings : YENS
38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS. I'd post a link but I'm still listening to
40. First name in shipping : ARI. Jackie's friend
43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD
46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA. Ends up in the ER.
49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED. C.C? We'd love to see you in red! (From C.C. I have a picture of Boomer dressed IN RED traditional Chinese coat.)
 |
| May 2003, Boomer Retirement Lunch |
50. Taunts : GIBES
51. Garden waterer : HOSE
52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD
54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT
I
worked for Warner Bros. for a while - I learned that Warner Bros. is
not Warner Brothers! Oh No! It is Warner Bros.(period) - as I hope I
have adequately proven. Also, this this yellow annoyance is called
Tweety. Not Tweety Bird. No bird - simply Tweety. Call this thing
"Tweety Bird" and it's close to a hanging offense. I escaped - just.
55. It may have highlights : HAIR
56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.
57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP. The clumsy Inspector of the Pink Panther movies.
59. Place to sleep : BED
60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU
61. ACLU concerns : RTS. Hmmm - Rights? I get the American Civil Liberties Union but ..
That's
it from me - a great Wednesday from C.C. - had me guessing and picking
all the way. Take care out here and have a wonderful rest of the week!
Steve
More from C.C.:
Some of you solved the "Crosswords with Friends" puzzle I put on the blog last Sunday. George Barany & Friends specially made it for the Will Shortz event. I chucked (Edited later: I meant "chuckled", D-Otto, :-), I'm amazing like that!) reading his comments on the TWINS clue change. See here (almost the bottom).
I submitted this puzzle in February and it was accepted in May, long before the Twins traded Morneau. Sigh. Go Pirates!
