Theme:
17A. Imbibing no more : ON THE WAGON. Not me - see below.
23A. Tropical quencher : COCONUT WATER. "Coconut" came quickly. "Water" took forever. My quenchers in the tropics tend to have something a tad stronger than water in them.
38A. "The Deer Hunter" ordeal : RUSSIAN ROULETTE. Great movie. I remember clearly when I first saw it in the theater in London. Here's the theme "Cavatina" played on a spanish guitar by the immensely talented John Williams.
50A. Restaurant mascot with an electric guitar : CHUCK E. CHEESE. Thank heavens I never have to go to these places anymore. The child decibel level is quite staggering. No wonder Mr. Cheese needs amplification.
And the unifier:
61A. Based on the ends of 17-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across, unwanted thing that this puzzle lacks : FIFTH WHEEL. Four kinds of wheels, and we don't get a fifth variety. Neat reveal.
Happy Thursday everyone.
Late Edit: It's C.C.'s birthday, so a BIG shout-out to her!
Slick puzzle from Julian - smooth themers, a couple of 9's and 10's in the downs intersecting two theme entries each and some nice fill.
It's been a funny old week from an English perspective - this time a week ago when I last blogged, the UK was committed to Europe, David Cameron was the Prime Minister, the opposition party had a shadow cabinet, England were still in the Euro soccer championships and the English team had a coach.
None of the above is now true. What's that got to do with the crossword? Nothing, but it's a sobering thought. Let's move right along.
Across:
1. Work with dough : KNEAD
6. Like long shots : SLIM. Like Iceland beating England last week. Slim to none. I called it, I really should have called the bookie before the game.
10. Commando weapons : UZIS
14. "Bates Motel" airer : A AND E
15. Third follower : HOME. I'm finally starting to recognize these. Baseball diamond, third base to home.
16. Stereotypical spoiler : NANA. Tricky one this, I was a long way down the "spoiler alert" plot-line path and getting nowhere when the crosses helped me out. Grandmothers stereotypically spoil the little brats, often by taking them to Chuck. E. Cheese and smile dotingly when they scream the place down.
19. Expression of pre-weekend gratitude : TGIF. Friday can't come soon enough, sometimes.
20. Okay : SO SO
21. Disturbance : ADO
22. Identify the source of : TRACE
27. Text digitization meth. : O.C.R. Optical Character Recognition, the way a computer scans and converts text.
30. Cut some blades : MOW. Mower blades, grass blades, very nice.
31. Singer Liz : PHAIR. I had "UNTO" for 25D at first which gave me the rather odd name NHAIR. At least it looked totally wrong so made me think about fixing it.
32. Pop quiz reaction, perhaps : GROAN. I had ___AN and decided "OH, MAN" was totally correct. And it mostly wasn't.
34. Geneva-based commerce gp. : W.T.O. World Trade Organization. As with most of these quangos and institutions, headquartered in lovely places.
35. Poet who wrote about shrimp, "At times, translucence / Is rather a nuisance" : NASH
42. Parts of an old item? : EXES. Great clue. I don't have any exes who live in Texas, at least I don't think I do.
43. Lively : GAY
44. For two, in Paris : A DEUX
45. Stocky dog : BOXER
47. "Delicious!" : MMM. YUM went in, and stuck it out tenaciously until almost the very end.
49. __ sequencing : DNA.
54. Actress O'Donnell : ROSIE.
55. Noun half? : ENS. Four letters in "noun", 50% of 'em are "n"s
56. "Red" hindrance : TAPE
60. Hazmat-monitoring org. : OSHA
64. Square __ : FEET. FOOT first, soon changed.
65. 37-Down plus two : OCTO- Those who are irritated by prefixes and cross-referential clues get a twofer annoyance here. Perfectly fine with me.
66. Buenos __ : AIRES. On my bucket list. I've not made it to Argentina yet.
67. Subdue, in a way : TASE. Quite a few missteps today - I had TAME first. I wasn't sure what a BUSHEM, horticulture is not my forté, obviously.
68. Dudes : GUYS
69. Check (out) : SCOPE
Down:
1. "Get Smart" crime org. : KAOS. Weird logo.
2. Prefix with bot : NANO-. The scaremongers will tell you that these little buggers will soon take over the world. They're more likely to be embedded in your socks to tell your washing machine to go easy on the over-agitation or cleaning your blood.
3. Sinus docs : ENTS Ear, Nose and Throat specialists.
4. Formed for a particular purpose : AD HOC. Usually committees.
5. "E.T." actress Wallace : DEE. Thank you, crosses.
6. It grows toward evening : SHADOW.
7. Prepare to surf : LOGON. Because "open browser and go to www.google.com" didn't fit.
8. Texting qualifier : IMO. IMHO, I've only ever seen the "humble" version. In my option.
9. Dudes : MEN
10. Lacking experience : UNTRAINED
11. Appraised like many big-city eateries : ZAGAT RATED. Pretty much any restaurant can put a "Zagat Rated" sticker in their window. They don't have to tell you that Zagat rated it one of the worst places in town.
12. How seafood is shipped : IN ICE. Wanted ON ICE. Wasn't allowed to have it.
13. Less dicey : SAFER
18. Texas I-35 city : WACO
22. Grounded flier since 2001 : TWA. SST went in, and eventually game out. I don't really think of TWA as grounded, more acquired as a bankrupt concern by American Airlines.
24. Present preceder? : OMNI-
25. Till : UP TO
26. You, once : THOU
27. Brute : OGRE
28. Main point : CRUX
29. Plants with stickers : ROSE BUSHES. Is a thorn a sticker? I suppose it is, never thought of it that way before.
33. Colleague : ASSOCIATE
34. Droll : WRY
36. Leave flabbergasted : STUN
37. 65-Across minus two : HEXA-
39. "The Morning Watch" novelist : AGEE
40. One may stop traffic : NARC. Very nice. Some clever cluing today.
41. Makes oneself scarce : LAMS. Aother I've never thought about - I'd never considered "lam" as a verb, more an "on the lam" noun. Perfectly good usage though.
46. Jaguar classic : XKE. Ah, the classic and now very expensive E-Type. Here's a convertible version in iconic British Racing Green. My old XJS was the same color.
47. Certs alternative : MENTOS. Thank you, crosses. I don't eat a lot of candy. I eat plenty of everything else!
48. Fit well : MESH
50. "Tomb Raider" heroine Lara : CROFT
51. Book after Daniel : HOSEA
52. Hard to hoist : HEFTY
53. Code of conduct : ETHIC
57. Flight-related prefix : AERO- I thought there might be a tad too many prefixes today, but I just went back and counted four total. Not so bad.
58. Fledgling's sound : PEEP
59. Ultimatum word : ELSE. Or else! Empty ultimatum thread sometimes. Can be disarmed with the "Or else what?" question response.
61. Magic show effect : FOG
62. Post-op place : I.C.U. Intensive Care Unit.
63. "It __ a Very Good Year" : WAS. Originally recorded by Bob Shane with The Kingston Trio. Too late in the blog for a music link though.
I think that should do it for me. Here's the grid!
Steve
17A. Imbibing no more : ON THE WAGON. Not me - see below.
23A. Tropical quencher : COCONUT WATER. "Coconut" came quickly. "Water" took forever. My quenchers in the tropics tend to have something a tad stronger than water in them.
38A. "The Deer Hunter" ordeal : RUSSIAN ROULETTE. Great movie. I remember clearly when I first saw it in the theater in London. Here's the theme "Cavatina" played on a spanish guitar by the immensely talented John Williams.
50A. Restaurant mascot with an electric guitar : CHUCK E. CHEESE. Thank heavens I never have to go to these places anymore. The child decibel level is quite staggering. No wonder Mr. Cheese needs amplification.
And the unifier:
61A. Based on the ends of 17-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across, unwanted thing that this puzzle lacks : FIFTH WHEEL. Four kinds of wheels, and we don't get a fifth variety. Neat reveal.
 | |
| "Come with us, they said - it's going to be fun!" |
Late Edit: It's C.C.'s birthday, so a BIG shout-out to her!
Slick puzzle from Julian - smooth themers, a couple of 9's and 10's in the downs intersecting two theme entries each and some nice fill.
It's been a funny old week from an English perspective - this time a week ago when I last blogged, the UK was committed to Europe, David Cameron was the Prime Minister, the opposition party had a shadow cabinet, England were still in the Euro soccer championships and the English team had a coach.
None of the above is now true. What's that got to do with the crossword? Nothing, but it's a sobering thought. Let's move right along.
Across:
1. Work with dough : KNEAD
6. Like long shots : SLIM. Like Iceland beating England last week. Slim to none. I called it, I really should have called the bookie before the game.
10. Commando weapons : UZIS
14. "Bates Motel" airer : A AND E
15. Third follower : HOME. I'm finally starting to recognize these. Baseball diamond, third base to home.
16. Stereotypical spoiler : NANA. Tricky one this, I was a long way down the "spoiler alert" plot-line path and getting nowhere when the crosses helped me out. Grandmothers stereotypically spoil the little brats, often by taking them to Chuck. E. Cheese and smile dotingly when they scream the place down.
19. Expression of pre-weekend gratitude : TGIF. Friday can't come soon enough, sometimes.
20. Okay : SO SO
21. Disturbance : ADO
22. Identify the source of : TRACE
27. Text digitization meth. : O.C.R. Optical Character Recognition, the way a computer scans and converts text.
30. Cut some blades : MOW. Mower blades, grass blades, very nice.
31. Singer Liz : PHAIR. I had "UNTO" for 25D at first which gave me the rather odd name NHAIR. At least it looked totally wrong so made me think about fixing it.
32. Pop quiz reaction, perhaps : GROAN. I had ___AN and decided "OH, MAN" was totally correct. And it mostly wasn't.
34. Geneva-based commerce gp. : W.T.O. World Trade Organization. As with most of these quangos and institutions, headquartered in lovely places.
35. Poet who wrote about shrimp, "At times, translucence / Is rather a nuisance" : NASH
"A shrimp who sought his lady shrimp
Could catch no glimpse
Not even a glimp.
At times, translucence
Is rather a nuisance".
Could catch no glimpse
Not even a glimp.
At times, translucence
Is rather a nuisance".
Ogden Nash.
42. Parts of an old item? : EXES. Great clue. I don't have any exes who live in Texas, at least I don't think I do.
43. Lively : GAY
44. For two, in Paris : A DEUX
45. Stocky dog : BOXER
47. "Delicious!" : MMM. YUM went in, and stuck it out tenaciously until almost the very end.
49. __ sequencing : DNA.
54. Actress O'Donnell : ROSIE.
55. Noun half? : ENS. Four letters in "noun", 50% of 'em are "n"s
56. "Red" hindrance : TAPE
60. Hazmat-monitoring org. : OSHA
64. Square __ : FEET. FOOT first, soon changed.
65. 37-Down plus two : OCTO- Those who are irritated by prefixes and cross-referential clues get a twofer annoyance here. Perfectly fine with me.
66. Buenos __ : AIRES. On my bucket list. I've not made it to Argentina yet.
67. Subdue, in a way : TASE. Quite a few missteps today - I had TAME first. I wasn't sure what a BUSHEM, horticulture is not my forté, obviously.
68. Dudes : GUYS
69. Check (out) : SCOPE
Down:
1. "Get Smart" crime org. : KAOS. Weird logo.
2. Prefix with bot : NANO-. The scaremongers will tell you that these little buggers will soon take over the world. They're more likely to be embedded in your socks to tell your washing machine to go easy on the over-agitation or cleaning your blood.
3. Sinus docs : ENTS Ear, Nose and Throat specialists.
4. Formed for a particular purpose : AD HOC. Usually committees.
5. "E.T." actress Wallace : DEE. Thank you, crosses.
6. It grows toward evening : SHADOW.
"Reclining in my armchair,
My eyes wandered to the horizon far
And saw darkness invading the Earth
Lost, so lost in the marauding loneliness
I watched the shadows of evening
Thickening around me and spreading a pall"
My eyes wandered to the horizon far
And saw darkness invading the Earth
Lost, so lost in the marauding loneliness
I watched the shadows of evening
Thickening around me and spreading a pall"
Lengthening Shadows by Valsa George.
7. Prepare to surf : LOGON. Because "open browser and go to www.google.com" didn't fit.
8. Texting qualifier : IMO. IMHO, I've only ever seen the "humble" version. In my option.
9. Dudes : MEN
10. Lacking experience : UNTRAINED
11. Appraised like many big-city eateries : ZAGAT RATED. Pretty much any restaurant can put a "Zagat Rated" sticker in their window. They don't have to tell you that Zagat rated it one of the worst places in town.
12. How seafood is shipped : IN ICE. Wanted ON ICE. Wasn't allowed to have it.
13. Less dicey : SAFER
18. Texas I-35 city : WACO
22. Grounded flier since 2001 : TWA. SST went in, and eventually game out. I don't really think of TWA as grounded, more acquired as a bankrupt concern by American Airlines.
24. Present preceder? : OMNI-
25. Till : UP TO
26. You, once : THOU
27. Brute : OGRE
28. Main point : CRUX
29. Plants with stickers : ROSE BUSHES. Is a thorn a sticker? I suppose it is, never thought of it that way before.
33. Colleague : ASSOCIATE
34. Droll : WRY
36. Leave flabbergasted : STUN
37. 65-Across minus two : HEXA-
39. "The Morning Watch" novelist : AGEE
40. One may stop traffic : NARC. Very nice. Some clever cluing today.
41. Makes oneself scarce : LAMS. Aother I've never thought about - I'd never considered "lam" as a verb, more an "on the lam" noun. Perfectly good usage though.
46. Jaguar classic : XKE. Ah, the classic and now very expensive E-Type. Here's a convertible version in iconic British Racing Green. My old XJS was the same color.
47. Certs alternative : MENTOS. Thank you, crosses. I don't eat a lot of candy. I eat plenty of everything else!
48. Fit well : MESH
50. "Tomb Raider" heroine Lara : CROFT
51. Book after Daniel : HOSEA
52. Hard to hoist : HEFTY
53. Code of conduct : ETHIC
57. Flight-related prefix : AERO- I thought there might be a tad too many prefixes today, but I just went back and counted four total. Not so bad.
58. Fledgling's sound : PEEP
59. Ultimatum word : ELSE. Or else! Empty ultimatum thread sometimes. Can be disarmed with the "Or else what?" question response.
61. Magic show effect : FOG
62. Post-op place : I.C.U. Intensive Care Unit.
63. "It __ a Very Good Year" : WAS. Originally recorded by Bob Shane with The Kingston Trio. Too late in the blog for a music link though.
I think that should do it for me. Here's the grid!
Steve
