17-Across. *Tricky puzzle : BRAIN TEASER.
37-Across. *"Let me give it a shot?" : CAN I TRY.
59-Across. *Historic route west : OREGON TRAIL.
11-Down. *Unvarnished facts : PLAIN TRUTH.
And the reveal:
29-Down. Calamity, and what's literally hidden in the answers to starred clues : TRAIN WRECK.
Each starred entry has the letters in T-R-A-I-N all jumbled up. Fun reveal, but I didn't need it to get the theme entries. When I came across the clue, I just glanced at what was already filled in: Check! Anagram puzzle!
Across
1. Kid-lit classic "__, Plain and Tall" : SARAH. A story of grief, loneliness and abandonment. Kid-lit? Really?
6. Dust Bowl refugees : OKIES. Think of the Joad family here.
11. Part of many a texting request : PLS. Short for "please."
14. Unborn, after "in" : UTERO.
15. "It's a Wonderful Life" director : CAPRA. Ah, my favorite movie, and personal mantra.
16. Pitcher rim : LIP. I am getting gun-shy, and was actually thinking of a baseball pitcher!
19. Tenn. neighbor : ALA.bama.
20. Commuter's woe : JAM.
21. Astronomy : Urania :: poetry : __ : ERATO. Respective muses.
22. Basic chord : TRIAD.
24. City between Paris and Marseille : LYON. Map.
25. "Just this time ..." : FOR ONCE.
27. Mensa membership consideration, perhaps : IQ TEST. There are many different tests that would qualify you for membership, so "perhaps" is appropriate in this clue.
30. Most plucky : GAMEST. Not to be confused with "gamiest."
31. Myanmar, formerly : BURMA.
32. SeaWorld attraction : ORCA.
33. Stonestreet of "Modern Family" : ERIC. Never saw the show, so was not familiar with this actor, who plays Cameron Tucker.
36. Actress Wasikowska : MIA. Never knew the name of this actress, who played Alice in Tim Burton's movie version of "Alice in Wonderland." Needless to say, this section relied heavily on perps!
40. __ Today : USA.
41. Essentially fat-free : SKIM.
43. Credit report blot : REPO.ssession.
44. Film with dusty streets, typically : OATER.
46. Seconds flat : NO TIME. I really wanted "in" at the beginning.
48. Eight dry gallons : BUSHEL.
49. "Hiya!" : HOWDY DO. Let's sing to the tune of "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay":
51. Genesis creator : SEGA. Arcade game, not the bible book...
52. Pasture measures : ACRES.
53. User's shortcut : MACRO.
55. Meditation beginning? : PRE. Premeditation.
58. Marine pronoun : SHE. I'm sure that Spitzboov has linked the explanation of "SHE" referring to ships before, but I couldn't find it.
62. Noir hero : TEC. The '40s-'50s era of crime drama films often involved a detective ("TEC") or undercover cop .
63. Large jazz combo : NONET.
64. Tourist __ : MECCA.
65. Origin of an egg-shaped spaceship : ORK. "Mork and Mindy" ran from 1978-82. RIP Robin Williams.
66. Locations : SITES.
67. Praise : EXTOL.
Down
1. Alg. or geog. : SUBJ.ect.
2. Razor brand : ATRA.
3. 20 quires : REAM. Factoid: The quire got its name from Old English "quare," meaning "by fours." Four sheets of vellum or parchment would be folded in half -giving a total of 8 sheets, or 16 sides. When pulp paper made it easier to stitch pages together, this meaning was quickly lost, and a quire usually contained 24 or 25 sheets. The modern ream is made up of 500 sheets, or 20 quires.
4. First name in shipping : ARI. Onassis was a Greek shipping magnate.
5. Bee's nectar reservoir : HONEY SAC. I never heard this term. It is also called a "honey stomach."
6. Vast expanse : OCEAN.
7. Longtime pitcher Jim with the nickname "Kitty" : KAAT. I defer to people who know more about baseball than the fact that it does, indeed, require a baseball for the game. Here's the wiki.
8. By its very nature, in law : IPSO FACTO. The embedding of a wiki link does not, IPSO FACTO, turn me into a baseball expert!
9. Afore : ERE.
10. "Being and Nothingness" philosopher : SARTRE. Jean Paul.
12. Fragrant bloom : LILAC. I have both white and purple ones on my property.
13. Fictional falcon seeker : SPADE. Sam Spade, "The Maltese Falcon."
18. Relaxed pace : TROT. Unless you are trying to find the W.C.
23. Left the runway : ROSE.
24. Apollo lander, briefly : LEM. Lunar Excursion Module.
26. General Bradley : OMAR. One of the very few five star generals in U.S. history.
27. AT and PS/2 computers : IBMS.
28. Nestlé __ : QUIK.
30. Complain : GRIPE.
32. "Be right with you" : ONE MOMENT. I had to check perps before deciding between "minute" or MOMENT.
34. "Ah! Say no more" : I SEE.
35. Poet Sandburg : CARL. One of my favorites is this poem:
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
38. Like New Mexico's climate, largely : ARID.
39. "Darned if I know!" : YOU GOT ME.
42. Style : MODE.
45. Cool-cucumber link : AS A.
47. Poultry magnate John et al. : TYSONS.
48. Alpine capital : BERN. Béarnaise sauce is also sometimes spelled "Bernaise," leading people to believe that it originated in Bern, Switzerland. But there is no truth to that. Béarnaise is strictly of French origin.
49. Must : HAS TO.
50. Yellowish pigment : OCHER. RGB 204.119.34
51. Highland Games participants : SCOTS.
54. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE. Such a vowel-friendly name.
55. Agreement : PACT.
56. Wealthy, in Juárez : RICO.
57. Ben Gurion airline : EL AL.
I totally missed these last two clechos, because I had filled them in with the across answers:
60. King at Versailles : ROI.
and
61. King in old Rome : REX.
Tag, you're it!
Marti
39. "Darned if I know!" : YOU GOT ME.
42. Style : MODE.
45. Cool-cucumber link : AS A.
47. Poultry magnate John et al. : TYSONS.
48. Alpine capital : BERN. Béarnaise sauce is also sometimes spelled "Bernaise," leading people to believe that it originated in Bern, Switzerland. But there is no truth to that. Béarnaise is strictly of French origin.
49. Must : HAS TO.
50. Yellowish pigment : OCHER. RGB 204.119.34
51. Highland Games participants : SCOTS.
54. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE. Such a vowel-friendly name.
55. Agreement : PACT.
56. Wealthy, in Juárez : RICO.
57. Ben Gurion airline : EL AL.
I totally missed these last two clechos, because I had filled them in with the across answers:
60. King at Versailles : ROI.
and
61. King in old Rome : REX.
Tag, you're it!
Marti
