Theme: SUB (66D. Prefix for the answers to starred clues, and
word needed for those clues to make sense) - The clues for all the
starred entries make sense only if you add SUB in front of them.
17A. *Dive, surface, dive, surface, etc.? : ROUTINE. Sub routine. I did not know the original word "subroutine". Google shows it's a computer term. Tell me more, TTP/D-Otto.
18A. *Lab growth below sea level? : CULTURE. Sub culture.
30A. *Underwater speaker? : WOOFER. Sub woofer. See here.
40A. *Story line for "The Hunt for Red October"? : PLOT. Sub plot.
41A. *Hatch? : ENTRY.
Sub entry. Not famliar with the nautical term "Hatch". Dictionary shows
it's also called "Hatchway": an opeing, usually rectangler, in the deck
through which passngers can pass, cargo can be loaded and unloaded. I
bet Spitzboov nailed this.
42A. *Underwater lateral surface? : SIDE. Sub side.
46A. *Position on naval warfare? : STANCE. Sub stance.
62A. *Sonar reading? : HEADING. Sub heading.
65A. *Message from beneath the surface? : MISSIVE. Sub missive.
4D. *Scenery for "Operation Petticoat"? : SET. Sub set.
C.C. here, pinch-hitting for Lemonade, who can't get the new puzzle because Cruciverb is still down. He'll be back next Friday.
What a tour de force from John Lampkin! This grid reminds me of the CHINESE puzzle I made for the NY Times in September. See here.
Look
how similar the grids are. Both 78 words. Both have a single 9-letter
entry in the central Down. None of our theme entries is more than
7-letter long. However, I only have 9 theme entries. John has 11 today. I
have total 38 black squares, with two cheaters (the black square above
39D AGE and below 34D SWE), John has 34, no cheaters.
He's just a master!
Across:
1. Turn over : CAPSIZE
8. Copes : MAKES DO
15. Banned : ILLEGAL. Great stacked of 7's here.
16. "To reiterate ..." : AS I SAID. Some use "Like I said". I use former. And 5D. "Uncle!" : I GIVE UP. Nice colloquial phrases.
19. Item in a tent : COT
20. French spa town : VICHY. EVIAN a spa town also, right?
22. Some amber orders : ALES
23. Zenith : APOGEE
25. Syria's Bashar al-__ : ASSAD. Now, his phone should be tapped.
28. Lorelei, notably : LURER. I think Kazie saw this sign in person. On the bank of the Rhine. Different spelling there.
34. Invite to one's tree house : ASK UP
37. Wilde's "An __ Husband" : IDEAL. Never read it.
39. At least one : ANY
43. Ages : EON
44. Bob Barker's longtime sidekick Johnny : OLSON
45. Clearance events : SALES
48. Lose it : GO MAD
50. Bivouac : ETAPE. Dictionary says it's rooted in Middle French "estaple", which is further rooted in Middle Dutch "Stapel", meaning "warehouse".
52. Starting lineups : A-TEAMS
56. Toll rd. : TPKE (Turnpike)
59. Nintendo ancestor : ATARI
61. Caviar, e.g. : ROE
67. In real trouble : UP A TREE. John shot this picture in Costa Rica. He said: "The Three-toed Sloth spends most of his life in the tree tops, coming
down only once a week to defecate. And Grampa thinks HE has problems!"
(Please click on the above picture to read John's caption.)
68. Flavored, like some vodka : INFUSED. Why do you infuse vodka?
69. Comebacks: RETORTS
70. Convertible couches : DAYBEDS
Down:
1. Word for a rough date : CIRCA. Oh, antique dating.
2. Throw for __ : A LOOP
3. Demotion in 2006 news : PLUTO. From Ninth planet to a dwarf.
6. More wacky : ZANIER
7. Util. bill item : ELEC
8. Annual parade sponsor : MACY'S
9. Sch. with a Mesa campus : ASU
10. 3,280.8 ft. : KIL (Kilometer)
11. Sonora, por ejemplo : ESTADO. Spanish for "State".
12. King David's predecessor : SAUL. John/Rich must not like Saul Goodman of "Breaking Bad". Better call Saul.
13. Dreadful : DIRE
14. Stanzas of tribute : ODES
21. How some singles play : HARD TO GET. Another gem.
24. Flood : GLUT
26. Vacillate : SWAY
27. IM provider : AOL
29. Fifth of fünf : EINS. fünf is "five" then.
31. Fall flat : FAIL
32. German finale : ENDE
33. Grains used by brewers and bakers : RYES. Bother me so much that you can't pluralize "corn" when other grains can be so. We have red corn, yellow corn, white corn after all. Always "Foot woes".
34. Copycats : APES
35. One in a Vegas row : SLOT
36. Hawaiian coffee-growing district : KONA
38. Cube maker Rubik : ERNO
41. Where Zeno taught : ELEA. Zeno of Elea, the Greek philosopher.
42. Nigerian-born Grammy winner : SADE. Her sister used to sing at a Spanish pub owned by a friend's parents.
44. Mo. for many Libras : OCT
45. Fulfill : SATISFY
47. Must : NEED TO
49. Berth place : MARINA. Loved the clue.
51. Leaves : PAGES. I don't get this clue. "Leafs/pages" through makes sense.
53. Leave one's seat : ARISE
54. Left town, maybe : MOVED
55. Feeder filler : SEEDS
56. Schedule abbr. : THUR. Our Marti Day.
57. Skunk Le Pew : PEPE
58. '50s-'80s pitcher Jim "Kitty" __ : KAAT. He was with the Twins for a long time.
60. Hemmed in by : AMID
63. Discount tag abbr. : IRR. I like Marshalls. You?
64. Entomologist's tool : NET. Entomologists studies insects.
David
Liben-Nowell, a NYT crossword constructor, kindly invited Twin Cities
constructors to a presentation by Matt Ginsberg yesterday at Carleton
College. Matt is the genius behind Dr. Fill, the crossword equivalent of
IBM's Watson. His talk was quite geeky and I only understood a tiny
portion of what he said, but it was so nice to meet with him and thanked
him in person for the free clue database
I've been using for a few years. Also eye-opening to see Dr Fill
accurately solve this Wednesday's NYT in 2 minutes. Matt will present
Carleton's weekly convocation address today. It'll be streamed on line.
Click here.
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| Left to Right: George Barany, David Liben-Nowell, Matt Ginsberg, C.C. & Tom Pepper Oct 31, 2013, Carleton College |
