17-Across. It's not a swine : GUINEA PIG. It's actually a rodent, as is 43-Across.
21-Across. It's not an equine : SEAHORSE. It's actually a marine fish.
35-Across. It's not an amphibian : HORNED TOAD. It's actually a lizard.
43-Across. It's not a canine : PRAIRIE DOG. It's actually a rodent, like 17-Across.
53-Across. It's not a rodent : TITMOUSE. It's actually a bird.
62-Across. It's not an ursine : KOALA BEAR. It's actually a marsupial.
Six theme entries, with four of them overlapping, could make some compromises in the fill. But I found this to be quite smooth. I also thought the theme was very fresh, and enjoyed filling in each entry with the "pseudo-name."
At first I thought we had another puzzle by Rich Norris, until I remembered that the "pseudo-name" he uses is GIA Christian, not Kevin. ("Again, it's Rich.")
Across:
1. At attention, say : ERECT.
6. Whale group : GAM. Hands up for "pod"????
9. Caught at a rodeo : ROPED.
14. Grammy-winning Jones : NORAH. I really love this one - it has special meaning for me.
15. CXVIII x V : DXC. 118 x 5 = 590
16. Officer on the Enterprise bridge : UHURA.
19. Alert to drivers : SIREN.
20. Vinyl item : RECORD.
23. Zilch : NADA.
25. Hot times in Lyon : ETES. As Splynter says, "Frawnch" for "summers."
26. MST part: Abbr. : STD. Mountain Standard Time. Hey, it's MDT already!
29. Endow : VEST.
31. __ projection : ASTRAL.
38. Million finish : AIRE. Millionaire.
39. Mayflower Compact signer : ALDEN.
40. Patriots' Day mo. : APR. I think this holiday is officially celebrated only in Massachusetts, the day of the Boston Marathon.
41. Former U.S. Army post near Monterey : FT. ORD.
42. Big name in game shows : MERV. Griffin.
45. "Remington __" : STEELE. 1980's romance-comedy-detective show, starring Pierce Brosnan.
47. Enthusiasm : ZEAL.
48. Common rebus pronoun : EWE. I had a really cool rebus puzzle to post here, with a picture of an EYE, a tin CAN, an image of the SEA and a picture of a EWE. Oh well, technology got the better of me.
49. Avis adjective : RARA.
51. "Stay" singer Lisa : LOEB. Sorry, I used up my one link on Norah Jones...
57. Lacking the wherewithal : UNABLE.
61. Confess : ADMIT.
64. Seven-year phase : TEENS. 13-19 year olds. Funny, I always thought of teens as being a ten-year stretch. But I counted on my fingers, and YEP! It's only seven years. It just seems longer, when you are a parent of one, I guess...
65. SASE, e.g. : ENC. Self addressed stamped envelope - enclosure.
66. Ben Stiller's mother : MEARA.
67. Biography Channel owner : A AND E. Seems weird to see A&E spelled out.
68. Most of AZ doesn't observe it : DST. Daylight Savings Time.
69. Freddy Krueger's haunts: Abbr. : ELM ST.
Down:
1. Tech sch. grad : ENGR.
2. Rake : ROUE.
3. Idle in comedy : ERIC. Of Monty Python fame.
4. Leica competitor : CANON.
5. Title "ungainly fowl" of poetry : THE RAVEN. Funny how it overlapped 36-Down, NEVER MIND…(so close to "nevermore"!!!)
6. Natl. economic indicator : GDP. Like EST or EDT, I always struggle with GDP or GNP. Fill in two letters, wait for perps to confirm the third.
7. x, y or z : AXIS.
8. Blues singer Bobby of song : MCGEE. "But feeling good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues…"
9. Fraternity events : RUSHES.
10. Columbus school : OHIO STATE.
11. Sign of feline felicity : PURR.
12. "__ Tu": 1974 hit : ERES. Mocedades, "It's You."
13. Hamlet, for one : DANE.
18. Contributed : ADDED.
22. Slightly : A TAD.
24. Sirius or Vega : A STAR. Not just a star, but an "A" star.
26. Counterfeits : SHAMS.
27. Available, on a real estate sign : TO LET. Sounds more European to me. I'm used to seeing "For Rent."
28. Rapper who co-founded Beats Electronics : DR. DRE.
30. November birthstone : TOPAZ.
32. __ Janeiro : RIO DE. meh.
33. Bow go-with : ARROW.
34. Dove's perch : LEDGE.
36. "Don't bother" : NEVER MIND.
37. Disney mermaid : ARIEL.
41. Identifier in a folder : FILE NAME.
43. Machu Picchu locale : PERU.
44. Lover of Christine, in "The Phantom of the Opera" : RAOUL.
46. "Tao Te Ching" author : LAO TSE. Attributed to him, but I believe its true authorship is uncertain. Loosely translated as "The Classic Path to Virtue."
50. Tried to date, with "out" : ASKED.
52. Tower city : BABEL.
53. "See ya" : TA-TA.
54. What a light bulb may signify : IDEA. TA-DA!!
55. The Untouchables, e.g. : T-MEN.
56. Eras upon eras : EONS.
58. Smile broadly : BEAM.
59. Metallica drummer Ulrich : LARS. The first Dane to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
60. Q.E.D. word : ERAT. Quod erat demonstrandum. "Which had to be demonstrated."
63. Pretend to be : ACT.
That's all for this week, folks!
Marti
Note from C.C.:
1) Happy Birthday to dear Spitzboov (Al), who has been faithfully contributing to this blog for a few years. Al served in the Navy
Reserve for over 20 years and retired as Commander. This morning I had a bonding moment with Al. I made my breakfast Al Style 5 minutes only. I had been using the wrong water to oats ration previously. (Ratio! Thanks, Owen). Too much water. By the way, D-Otto, I tried the Test Kitchen steel-cut oats with dates & toasted walnuts & soy milk on Tuesday. Great result. I'll experience with coconut milk tomorrow. (Experiment. Thanks again, Owen)
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| Spitzboov & his lovely wife Betty, US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT, August 2012 |
2) Happy Birthday to John28man as well. The lady in his avatar picture is his wife. They were in a restaurant in Vienna, Austria. Do you spend every winter in Arizona, John?
3) To regular commenters: Please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you want to be included in our blog birthday list. I'd love to see a picture of you too.
