Theme: Hard Ates. I'm in Las Vegas, so "ates the hard way" was little craps-inspiration. Except there's no such thing. Sometimes when the reveal is so slick naming the theme becomes a challenge. Which I failed. Moving on:
17A. Carnivores: MEAT EATERS. That's me.
24A. Appliance needed for a hot bath: WATER HEATER
38. Latvia and Lithuania, once: SATELLITE STATES. Satellite states of the old Soviet Union.
47A. 2015 NFL controversy involving air pressure: DEFLATEGATE The Watergate cover-up has a lot to answer for, but at least you know that the latest "gate" is a controversy. The equipment manager for the New England Patriots was accused of letting air out of the match balls that QB Tom Brady would throw that game.
58A. It consists of a couple of couples ... and, when divided differently, a hint to something hidden in 17-, 24-, 38- and 47-Across: DOUBLE DATE. When divided differently, we get "DOUBLED ATE" for the very neat reveal.
I think this is a great puzzle from Bruce. The theme entries are snappy and the reveal is genuinely clever. Even with the quite heavy themage, Bruce still finds a way to add eight- and ten-letter entries in the downs.
We bloggers were discussing the quality of the fill in the LA Times, which C.C. describes as "gluey" on occasion, a polite term for "not very good". There's very little glue in the fill today, this is a high-quality puzzle.
Let's see what jumps out:
Across:
1. Jay-Z output: RAP CD
6. Reach great heights: SOAR
10. Attempt: STAB
14. White house?: IGLOO. Nice clue!
15. Fair: EXPO
16. Bear in the heavens: URSA. Two sizes of bear up there. Bear Major and Bear Minor. Sounds like two brothers at private school (or public school in the UK, which is the very opposite of what you would think it means).
19. Invite abbr.: BYOB. Bring your own B(ottle) or B(ooze). I'm not sure I'd be terribly impressed if I received an invitation that actually told me to bring a bottle. BYOB restaurants are great, you can take a great bottle of wine and not get held hostage by the wine list prices.
20. Job application fig.: S.S.N. Do you put your Social Security Number on a job application? I'm not sure this is a thing.
21. Hang around: STAY
22. "National Velvet" sister: EDWINA. Solid crosses filled this in for me. I saw the movie starring Elizabeth Taylor many moons ago.
26. Got the ball rolling?: PUTTED
30. Smooth-talking: OILY
31. "60 Minutes" regular: STAHL. Moderator Lesley.
32. Improvised jazz part: VAMP
34. Element Prometheus stole from Olympus: FIRE. Didn't go well, I seem to recall.
41. Harbinger of spring: THAW
42. "Beetle Bailey" dog: OTTO
43. 1990s-2000s skating champ Slutskaya: IRINA. I always try IRENA first and have to correct it when the cross doesn't work.
44. Davenport's place: IOWA
46. 1974 hit with Spanish lyrics: ERES TU. "It's you". Great 70's video, lots of camera-staring and men with questionable facial hair. I don't recognize the song, I have to confess.
52. Italy's __ Coast: AMALFI. This has been a regular reference recently, it seems.
53. Like arf and meow: ORAL. Fiendish clue. Very nice.
54. Hallucinogenic letters: LSD. Lysergic acid diethylamide
57. "Pleeease?": CAN I?
61. Writer Shere: HITE. Writer on feminism and women's sexuality.
62. Avant-garde: EDGY
63. Font flourish: SERIF. The default font on the blog is a "serif'ed" one.
64. "Regrettably ... ": ALAS
65. Grasps: SEES
66. Like horror films: SCARY
Down:
1. What "nothin' but net" shots don't touch: RIMS. No clanging on the basketball hoop. Just a swish as the ball goes through.
2. Periods: AGES
.
3. Not leave things to chance: PLAN
4. Foldable bed: COT
5. Succeeds: DOES WELL
6. Tuned to: SET AT
7. Daisy variety: OX-EYE. Pretty things.
8. Car ad abbr.: APR. Interest rate on the loan. You pay cash, no loan, no APR.
9. Botanical source of vitamin C: ROSE HIPS.
10. Commuter's cost: SUBWAY FARE. Could also be the picnic you eat on a long commute on the subway.
11. "Have a taste": TRY IT!
12. In harmony: AS ONE
13. Kiddie lit elephant: BABAR. The perfect gentleman, always doffed his hat to a lady. Which prompts a question - can you doff anything other than your hat? If you can't, the "his hat" part of the phrase is redundant, you should just "doff". If you can doff other stuff, what does doffing your shoe look like? We should be told.
18. Somewhat: A TAD
23. __ Taco: DEL. Not your first choice of venue for taco dining in Los Angeles
25. Lover of Shakespeare?: ROMEO. Nice cluing.
26. Sibilant "Yo!": PSST!
27. Its motto is "Industry": UTAH. Thanks, crosses.
28. "Cheerio!": TA-TA!
29. Jittery condition: THE WILLIES. Loved this one.
32. Curriculum __: résumé: VITAE. CV is the term in the UK and elsewhere for your job history.
33. Brief writer, briefly: ATT. Attorney. Took me a while to see this one.
35. Words before and after "what": IT IS
36. Dollars for quarters: RENT
37. Biblical twin: ESAU
39. Good times for beachcombing: LOW TIDES
40. Indefatigable: TIRELESS
45. Lummox: OAF
46. Lat. shortener: ET AL. Et alia if you want to be long-winded about it.
47. Russian country house: DACHA
48. Online message: EMAIL
49. Crush rival: FANTA. Fizzy fruit-flavored drinks. Fanta is most often associated with the orange version, but there are more than 100 flavors worldwide.
.
50. Overcharge but good: GOUGE
51. Chain known for roast beef: ARBY'S. "We Have The Meats"
54. Actress __ Flynn Boyle: LARA. Best known for her role in Twin Peaks, she appeared in all the episodes.
55. Show signs of life: STIR. I wasn't sure I'd be showing signs of life this morning. I'm at a convention in Las Vegas and last night was the industry association party at a nightclub. With an open bar. I actually felt rather jaunty.
56. Stand up to: DEFY
59. Laudatory poem: ODE
60. Usual Hanukkah mo.: DEC.
I think that does it for me today. Just need to add the grid and I'm done!
Steve
17A. Carnivores: MEAT EATERS. That's me.
24A. Appliance needed for a hot bath: WATER HEATER
38. Latvia and Lithuania, once: SATELLITE STATES. Satellite states of the old Soviet Union.
47A. 2015 NFL controversy involving air pressure: DEFLATEGATE The Watergate cover-up has a lot to answer for, but at least you know that the latest "gate" is a controversy. The equipment manager for the New England Patriots was accused of letting air out of the match balls that QB Tom Brady would throw that game.
58A. It consists of a couple of couples ... and, when divided differently, a hint to something hidden in 17-, 24-, 38- and 47-Across: DOUBLE DATE. When divided differently, we get "DOUBLED ATE" for the very neat reveal.
I think this is a great puzzle from Bruce. The theme entries are snappy and the reveal is genuinely clever. Even with the quite heavy themage, Bruce still finds a way to add eight- and ten-letter entries in the downs.
We bloggers were discussing the quality of the fill in the LA Times, which C.C. describes as "gluey" on occasion, a polite term for "not very good". There's very little glue in the fill today, this is a high-quality puzzle.
Let's see what jumps out:
1. Jay-Z output: RAP CD
6. Reach great heights: SOAR
10. Attempt: STAB
14. White house?: IGLOO. Nice clue!
15. Fair: EXPO
16. Bear in the heavens: URSA. Two sizes of bear up there. Bear Major and Bear Minor. Sounds like two brothers at private school (or public school in the UK, which is the very opposite of what you would think it means).
19. Invite abbr.: BYOB. Bring your own B(ottle) or B(ooze). I'm not sure I'd be terribly impressed if I received an invitation that actually told me to bring a bottle. BYOB restaurants are great, you can take a great bottle of wine and not get held hostage by the wine list prices.
20. Job application fig.: S.S.N. Do you put your Social Security Number on a job application? I'm not sure this is a thing.
21. Hang around: STAY
22. "National Velvet" sister: EDWINA. Solid crosses filled this in for me. I saw the movie starring Elizabeth Taylor many moons ago.
26. Got the ball rolling?: PUTTED
30. Smooth-talking: OILY
31. "60 Minutes" regular: STAHL. Moderator Lesley.
32. Improvised jazz part: VAMP
34. Element Prometheus stole from Olympus: FIRE. Didn't go well, I seem to recall.
41. Harbinger of spring: THAW
42. "Beetle Bailey" dog: OTTO
43. 1990s-2000s skating champ Slutskaya: IRINA. I always try IRENA first and have to correct it when the cross doesn't work.
44. Davenport's place: IOWA
46. 1974 hit with Spanish lyrics: ERES TU. "It's you". Great 70's video, lots of camera-staring and men with questionable facial hair. I don't recognize the song, I have to confess.
52. Italy's __ Coast: AMALFI. This has been a regular reference recently, it seems.
53. Like arf and meow: ORAL. Fiendish clue. Very nice.
54. Hallucinogenic letters: LSD. Lysergic acid diethylamide
57. "Pleeease?": CAN I?
61. Writer Shere: HITE. Writer on feminism and women's sexuality.
62. Avant-garde: EDGY
63. Font flourish: SERIF. The default font on the blog is a "serif'ed" one.
64. "Regrettably ... ": ALAS
65. Grasps: SEES
66. Like horror films: SCARY
Down:
1. What "nothin' but net" shots don't touch: RIMS. No clanging on the basketball hoop. Just a swish as the ball goes through.
2. Periods: AGES
.
3. Not leave things to chance: PLAN
4. Foldable bed: COT
5. Succeeds: DOES WELL
6. Tuned to: SET AT
7. Daisy variety: OX-EYE. Pretty things.
8. Car ad abbr.: APR. Interest rate on the loan. You pay cash, no loan, no APR.
9. Botanical source of vitamin C: ROSE HIPS.
10. Commuter's cost: SUBWAY FARE. Could also be the picnic you eat on a long commute on the subway.
11. "Have a taste": TRY IT!
12. In harmony: AS ONE
13. Kiddie lit elephant: BABAR. The perfect gentleman, always doffed his hat to a lady. Which prompts a question - can you doff anything other than your hat? If you can't, the "his hat" part of the phrase is redundant, you should just "doff". If you can doff other stuff, what does doffing your shoe look like? We should be told.
18. Somewhat: A TAD
23. __ Taco: DEL. Not your first choice of venue for taco dining in Los Angeles
25. Lover of Shakespeare?: ROMEO. Nice cluing.
26. Sibilant "Yo!": PSST!
27. Its motto is "Industry": UTAH. Thanks, crosses.
28. "Cheerio!": TA-TA!
29. Jittery condition: THE WILLIES. Loved this one.
32. Curriculum __: résumé: VITAE. CV is the term in the UK and elsewhere for your job history.
33. Brief writer, briefly: ATT. Attorney. Took me a while to see this one.
35. Words before and after "what": IT IS
36. Dollars for quarters: RENT
37. Biblical twin: ESAU
39. Good times for beachcombing: LOW TIDES
40. Indefatigable: TIRELESS
45. Lummox: OAF
46. Lat. shortener: ET AL. Et alia if you want to be long-winded about it.
47. Russian country house: DACHA
48. Online message: EMAIL
49. Crush rival: FANTA. Fizzy fruit-flavored drinks. Fanta is most often associated with the orange version, but there are more than 100 flavors worldwide.
.
50. Overcharge but good: GOUGE
51. Chain known for roast beef: ARBY'S. "We Have The Meats"
54. Actress __ Flynn Boyle: LARA. Best known for her role in Twin Peaks, she appeared in all the episodes.
55. Show signs of life: STIR. I wasn't sure I'd be showing signs of life this morning. I'm at a convention in Las Vegas and last night was the industry association party at a nightclub. With an open bar. I actually felt rather jaunty.
56. Stand up to: DEFY
59. Laudatory poem: ODE
60. Usual Hanukkah mo.: DEC.
I think that does it for me today. Just need to add the grid and I'm done!
Steve
