Theme: Whaddya know? Synonyms in the Circles, as the reveal tells us:
55A. Privileged information demonstrated by this puzzle's circles : INSIDE KNOWLEDGE
17A. Producer of lavish revues : FLORENZ ZIEGFELD (LORE). The Ziegfeld Follies. I never knew the first name until today. When it appeared, I was surprised as I thought the impresario was a guy, so I went to look and ... "Flo" and behold, he was a guy.
25A. Where everything turns out all right : STORYBOOK ENDING. (KEN) Depends on what kind of story you're reading.
42A. New Orleans spectacle : MARDI GRAS PARADE. (GRASP) Here's a part of one on St. Charles:
Thursday already? And three more days until the New Year? Tempus fugit, for sure. Nice clean puzzle from Roland today, four grid-spanning theme entries and a tidy grid. Let's see what else jumps out.
Across
1. Little bit of progress : DENT. STEP went in, then came out to be replaced by INCH. Not a clean start for me today.
5. Mike supports : BOOMS. Had me wondering what on earth another name for a STAND could be.
10. Capitol cap : DOME
14. Zeno's home : ELEA. Crosses all the way. Zeno of Elea, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. I never studied philosophy.
15. Great-grandfather of Noah : ENOCH. Nailed it. Learned from crosswords.
16. Struck (out) : EX'ED. Now then, you constructors and editors, pay attention. You can have X'ED or you can have EX'ED, but you can't have both. Pick one or the other. Thank you.
20. Catch some rays : TAN
21. Chop __ : SUEY. Food! Chinese-American cuisine, and the title of a song from alternative metal band System of a Down. Raucous Music Advisory.
22. More than enough : PLENTY
23. Pollutant concentration meas. : P.P.M. Parts Per Million
24. Splint site : SHIN
33. Part of Great Britain : WALES. The bit on the left across from Ireland. The place names can be baffling if you don't know the Welsh language. Try "Pwllheli" or "Pencaennewydd" before tackling "Llanfairpwllgwyngyll".
34. Jersey, for one : SHIRT. Because "Channel Island" doesn't fit. I've got quite a collection of soccer jerseys; both from games I've seen around the world and bought the home team's jersey as a souvenir, and quite a few of my own team, Chelsea FC.
35. "The Purloined Letter" writer : POE
36. British tennis star Murray : ANDY. He's a good sport - he sold ice cream at a tournament in Cincinnati last year.
37. Internet greeting : E-CARD
38. Lawyer's job : CASE
39. Ham may be seen on it : RYE. It's funny, but thinking about it, I'd never put ham on rye. Wheat would be my choice.
40. "What I dream of is __ of balance ... ": Matisse : AN ART. He goes on to say "... of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue." Sounds nice.
41. Track divisions : LANES. Athletics tracks.
45. Spring bloom : IRIS
46. Recede : EBB
47. International economic bloc : G-SEVEN. Quickly - name them off! (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the USA.)
50. Sheltered at sea : ALEE
52. Epitome of slipperiness : EEL
58. Advance : LOAN
59. Start of a kid's rhyme : EENIE
60. Boil over : RAGE
61. Irish Rose's guy : ABIE. Thank you crosses, no clue. I discover that he is from an Anne Nichols play first performed in 1922.
62. Bring up : RAISE
63. Out of control : AMOK. I can't think of ever seeing this word used without being paired with the verb "to run".
Down
1. Like a magician's hands : DEFT
2. "__ and Louis": 1956 jazz album : ELLA
3. Element #10 : NEON. This chap: [He] 2s22p6
4. Smelly sealant : TAR. I love the smell of fresh tar. I remember as a kid being bewitched by the road crew laying fresh blacktop on our street.
5. Render senseless : BENUMB
6. Number after dix : ONZE
7. Seeping slowly : OOZY. Oozy? OK, I'll let this one go.
8. Old Sprint rival : MCI. Part of Verizon now.
9. One often seen with a crook : SHEPHERD. It never ceases to amaze me how many dog owners have a German Shepherd, but don't know how to spell it.
10. Stand up for : DEFEND
11. Ground-breaking team, at times : OXEN. Enjoyed this clue.
12. Lunch order : MELT
13. Drain swirl : EDDY
18. Best Championship Performance and Best Team : ESPYS. The annual ESPY sports awards on ESPN.
19. Sparkle : GLINT
23. Carnivore's target : PREY
24. Goes around : SKIRTS
25. Buzzing cloud : SWARM
26. Self-named 2002 country album : TANYA. Thank you, crosses.
27. From an earlier time : OLDER
28. Statuettes that were made of painted plaster during WWII : OSCARS. That's a learning moment. I didn't hesitate to put it straight in though.
29. 1939 Leigh role : O'HARA
30. Bucky Beaver's toothpaste : IPANA. What happened to this stuff? It looks like it's still sold in Turkey: "Healthier and Brighter Teeth from the First Day"
31. Edged (out) : NOSED
32. Former goslings : GEESE
37. Mastermind : ENGINEER. The verb, not the noun. Nice clue/answer combo.
38. Certain dieter's concern : CARB-ohydrate
40. Made public : AIRED
41. Shop tag : LABEL
43. Godlike : DIVINE
44. Hall of Famer Reese : PEEWEE
47. Coolidge Dam's river : GILA. I really need to remember this, I was almost Natick'ed at GILA/ABIE.
48. Highbrow, perhaps : SNOB
49. Morales of "NYPD Blue" : ESAI
50. Years in Rome : ANNI
51. "Family Guy" mom : LOIS
52. Dutch export : EDAM. They do make other cheeses, but Edam always gets top billing.
53. French Toaster Sticks brand : EGGO
54. One of 33-Across' national emblems : LEEK. "Ydych chi eisiau benthyg fy cennin?" (Do you want to borrow my leek?)
56. Mauna __ : KEA. It's a big bugger too, 13,802 feet, the highest point in the state.
57. Starter's stat : E.R.A. The baseball pitcher's Earned Run Average. Lower is better.
I think that's my journey done for the day. Let's make sure I've got everything - keys, wallet, passport ... oh wait, the grid. Here it is:
Steve
55A. Privileged information demonstrated by this puzzle's circles : INSIDE KNOWLEDGE
17A. Producer of lavish revues : FLORENZ ZIEGFELD (LORE). The Ziegfeld Follies. I never knew the first name until today. When it appeared, I was surprised as I thought the impresario was a guy, so I went to look and ... "Flo" and behold, he was a guy.
25A. Where everything turns out all right : STORYBOOK ENDING. (KEN) Depends on what kind of story you're reading.
42A. New Orleans spectacle : MARDI GRAS PARADE. (GRASP) Here's a part of one on St. Charles:
Thursday already? And three more days until the New Year? Tempus fugit, for sure. Nice clean puzzle from Roland today, four grid-spanning theme entries and a tidy grid. Let's see what else jumps out.
Across
1. Little bit of progress : DENT. STEP went in, then came out to be replaced by INCH. Not a clean start for me today.
5. Mike supports : BOOMS. Had me wondering what on earth another name for a STAND could be.
10. Capitol cap : DOME
14. Zeno's home : ELEA. Crosses all the way. Zeno of Elea, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. I never studied philosophy.
15. Great-grandfather of Noah : ENOCH. Nailed it. Learned from crosswords.
16. Struck (out) : EX'ED. Now then, you constructors and editors, pay attention. You can have X'ED or you can have EX'ED, but you can't have both. Pick one or the other. Thank you.
20. Catch some rays : TAN
21. Chop __ : SUEY. Food! Chinese-American cuisine, and the title of a song from alternative metal band System of a Down. Raucous Music Advisory.
22. More than enough : PLENTY
23. Pollutant concentration meas. : P.P.M. Parts Per Million
24. Splint site : SHIN
33. Part of Great Britain : WALES. The bit on the left across from Ireland. The place names can be baffling if you don't know the Welsh language. Try "Pwllheli" or "Pencaennewydd" before tackling "Llanfairpwllgwyngyll".
34. Jersey, for one : SHIRT. Because "Channel Island" doesn't fit. I've got quite a collection of soccer jerseys; both from games I've seen around the world and bought the home team's jersey as a souvenir, and quite a few of my own team, Chelsea FC.
35. "The Purloined Letter" writer : POE
36. British tennis star Murray : ANDY. He's a good sport - he sold ice cream at a tournament in Cincinnati last year.
37. Internet greeting : E-CARD
38. Lawyer's job : CASE
39. Ham may be seen on it : RYE. It's funny, but thinking about it, I'd never put ham on rye. Wheat would be my choice.
40. "What I dream of is __ of balance ... ": Matisse : AN ART. He goes on to say "... of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue." Sounds nice.
41. Track divisions : LANES. Athletics tracks.
45. Spring bloom : IRIS
46. Recede : EBB
47. International economic bloc : G-SEVEN. Quickly - name them off! (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the USA.)
50. Sheltered at sea : ALEE
52. Epitome of slipperiness : EEL
58. Advance : LOAN
59. Start of a kid's rhyme : EENIE
60. Boil over : RAGE
61. Irish Rose's guy : ABIE. Thank you crosses, no clue. I discover that he is from an Anne Nichols play first performed in 1922.
62. Bring up : RAISE
63. Out of control : AMOK. I can't think of ever seeing this word used without being paired with the verb "to run".
Down
1. Like a magician's hands : DEFT
2. "__ and Louis": 1956 jazz album : ELLA
3. Element #10 : NEON. This chap: [He] 2s22p6
4. Smelly sealant : TAR. I love the smell of fresh tar. I remember as a kid being bewitched by the road crew laying fresh blacktop on our street.
5. Render senseless : BENUMB
6. Number after dix : ONZE
7. Seeping slowly : OOZY. Oozy? OK, I'll let this one go.
8. Old Sprint rival : MCI. Part of Verizon now.
9. One often seen with a crook : SHEPHERD. It never ceases to amaze me how many dog owners have a German Shepherd, but don't know how to spell it.
10. Stand up for : DEFEND
11. Ground-breaking team, at times : OXEN. Enjoyed this clue.
12. Lunch order : MELT
13. Drain swirl : EDDY
18. Best Championship Performance and Best Team : ESPYS. The annual ESPY sports awards on ESPN.
19. Sparkle : GLINT
23. Carnivore's target : PREY
24. Goes around : SKIRTS
25. Buzzing cloud : SWARM
26. Self-named 2002 country album : TANYA. Thank you, crosses.
27. From an earlier time : OLDER
28. Statuettes that were made of painted plaster during WWII : OSCARS. That's a learning moment. I didn't hesitate to put it straight in though.
29. 1939 Leigh role : O'HARA
30. Bucky Beaver's toothpaste : IPANA. What happened to this stuff? It looks like it's still sold in Turkey: "Healthier and Brighter Teeth from the First Day"
31. Edged (out) : NOSED
32. Former goslings : GEESE
37. Mastermind : ENGINEER. The verb, not the noun. Nice clue/answer combo.
38. Certain dieter's concern : CARB-ohydrate
40. Made public : AIRED
41. Shop tag : LABEL
43. Godlike : DIVINE
44. Hall of Famer Reese : PEEWEE
47. Coolidge Dam's river : GILA. I really need to remember this, I was almost Natick'ed at GILA/ABIE.
48. Highbrow, perhaps : SNOB
49. Morales of "NYPD Blue" : ESAI
50. Years in Rome : ANNI
51. "Family Guy" mom : LOIS
52. Dutch export : EDAM. They do make other cheeses, but Edam always gets top billing.
53. French Toaster Sticks brand : EGGO
54. One of 33-Across' national emblems : LEEK. "Ydych chi eisiau benthyg fy cennin?" (Do you want to borrow my leek?)
56. Mauna __ : KEA. It's a big bugger too, 13,802 feet, the highest point in the state.
57. Starter's stat : E.R.A. The baseball pitcher's Earned Run Average. Lower is better.
I think that's my journey done for the day. Let's make sure I've got everything - keys, wallet, passport ... oh wait, the grid. Here it is:
Steve
