Theme:
17A *They're for the dogs: LEASH LAWS. Shale oil
39A. *Enter on the sly: SNEAK IN. Snake oil
11D. *Two-time women's soccer Olympic gold medalist: ABBY WAMBACH. Baby oil.
Abby is one of my sporting heroes, she took the world of soccer and shook it by the ears, was instrumental in helping build a winning national team and twice carried off Olympic gold medals. My goodness, she was a factor in so many great moments. She has one of the "Greatest Goal" headers in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final game against Brazil to tie the game at 2-2 at the death in overtime and send the tie to penalty kicks which the USA won 5-3. Carli Lloyd's feed to Megan Rapinoe and her 45-yard cross was instrumental in the strike. What a great team that was.
Enjoy it here
25D. *Gravlax: CURED SALMON.Crude oil. Food! Dill, salt, sugar, pepper and bury it in the ground :)
and the unifier, and the start of the sleuthing:
60A. Jiffy Lube service, and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues: OIL CHANGE
Wow. I was an email second away to ask for help from my fellow bloggers to figure out what on earth this them was all about, then I decided to look at the short entries first. ABBY:BABY. Oh, wait - anagrams - then CURED:CRUDE. That's another. SNEAK:SNAKE and finally .... LEASH:SHALE. In all the years I've been doing this I've never been even close to crying UNCLE finding the theme, but this one just about had me waving the white flag. The solve was straightforward, but back-tracking to find the theme - not so much.
I'd call this a meta - a puzzle solvable on its own, but you can have fun looking back to try to figure out the theme. If that was the intent, then well done, but if that is not the intent, that's a problem. The puzzle should stand up on its own as a themeless, and this doesn't really hit the mark.
There's some high spots though, let's go look for those.
Across:
1. Moment of remorse: PANG
5. Portrayer of a big scaredy-cat: LAHR. Lion, of the cowardly sort.
9. One thing on top of another: STACK
14. Saucony rival: AVIA. Running shoes. The clue is interesting. In the "obscure running shoes" category.
15. Resort town near Santa Barbara: OJAI. Up in the hills not too far from me. There's a spa/hotel which has a good reputation.
16. Buffalo hockey player: SABRE. "ER" or "RE"? Figure it out and move on.
19. French clerics: ABBÉS
20. Make rough: COARSEN
22. __ tick: disease carrier: LYME
23. Open, as toothpaste: UNCAP. "Oh, just let me uncap this toothpaste" - said nobody, ever.
26. By any means: SOME WAY
28. It may be proper: NOUN
29. Start to mature?: PRE-
32. Poll gathering: DATA
33. Lancelot and Mix-a-Lot: SIRS
34. "La Cage __ Folles": AUX. You might as well just print this in the grid as a freebie.
35. Bleak: DISMAL
38. Linguistic suffix: -ESE
41. Word before and after "oh": BOY. Boy-oh? Really? I know the Welsh affectionate "boyo", not sure about this one.
42. Freshwater minnow: RED FIN. Not a lot of meat on a red fin. Now a bluefin, you're talking sushi.
44. Chaps: MEN
45. 2002-'03 viral outbreak, briefly: SARS. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Makers of white surgical face masks have never been so happy to extend their market to the general population.
46. Together, so to speak: SANE
47. Droop: SAG
48. Plasm prefix: ECTO-
49. Followers of shots: CHASERS
52. Taj __: MAHAL. Oh, I thought it might have been Taj Smith, the famous (?) American football player, or Taj Forer, the photographer. Shame on me for overlooking the obvious.
53. Put the brakes on: HALT
54. Phantom: SPECTER
58. "Mental Illness" Grammy winner Mann: AIMEE. Thank you, crosses.
64. Engagement ring centerpiece: STONE
65. Lackluster: DRAB
66. Like some U.S. mail: CERT. Ach. Please. "I'm sending this U.S. Mail, Cert." said nobody, ever.
67. Belarus capital: MINSK
68. Start of a decision-making rhyme: EENY-
69. Actor Miller of "Justice League": EZRA. Thank you crosses. Ezra, meet Aimee.
Down:
1. Bud: PAL
2. Park in NYC, e.g.: AVE. This one made me think, and I walk up and down Park at least once a month; two of my clients have their head offices on the street. The Helmsley Building built over the top of the street at Grand Central never fails to make me smile.
3. Long of "NCIS: Los Angeles": NIA. Thank you, crosses. Nia, meet Aimee and Ezra.
4. Garage containers: GAS CANS
5. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA. Let's go with the other Lola, who "walked like a woman and talked like a man".
6. Open a bit: AJAR
7. Verbal hesitations: HAWS
8. Reacts to yeast: RISES
9. ID issuer: SSA. I didn't punctuate the SSA because ID is now a word, and not just a Latin one.
10. Laptop alternatives: TABLETS
12. Espresso foam: CREMA
13. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" novelist: KESEY
18. Short trip: HOP
21. Dropping (off): NODDING
23. Indy racing family name: UNSER
24. Din: NOISE
27. Key: MAIN
29. They go for the gold: PANNERS. Yep, I'm in a picky mood today. "He was a panner in the '49 California gold rush" - said nobody, ever.
30. Feel remorse for: RUE
31. Finals, say: EXAMS
36. Major artery: AORTA
37. Germ-killing brand: LYSOL
39. Triangle ratio: SINE. What was the aide-memoire we learned back then - soh-cah-toa? Sine = Opposite over Hypotenuse .... Mathematics exams redux.
40. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. Loa or Kea. Not Koa which was my first try. I have a koa wood ring and bracelet from Maui, so I excuse myself.
43. Buckles, as a seat belt: FASTENS
45. Yachting event, e.g.: SEA RACE
49. Great divide: CHASM
50. French-speaking Western Hemisphere country: HAITI. Not France then? Now this is oddly cunning - the Western Hemisphere is divided at the zero meridian and the 180 line at the antimeridian. France straddles the zero mark, and as such is disqualified from being a candidate answer, notwithstanding having too many letters. The only other possibility in literal terms would be Canada, but than you're talking about a minority population in Quebec, plus too many letters. A+ for educational.
51. Fine English china: SPODE. Wedgwood 1, Spode 0 in the Five Towns derby, sadly. Wedgwood cornered the marked in pale blue brooches and ornamental pottery, but Spode produced some wonderful hand-painted gold-banded white china plates. I'm with Spode - you can eat off their plates, you'd never think of serving food on a Wedgwood dish. Those bands really are painted by hand.
52. "So-so": MEH
55. Kerry locale: EIRE
56. Extended family: CLAN
57. Frozen dessert chain: TCBY. Their website has them as "The Country's Best Yogurt". Praise the Lord for correct apostrophe usage.
59. "Yikes!": EEK
61. Pince-__ glasses: NEZ
62. Watchdog's warning: GRR
63. ORD posting: ETA. Take a three-letter airport code and attach it to ETA, and voila! A crossword clue. See also ARR, and LGW, LHR, SYD, LGA, JFK, LAX, SFO, ORD, IAH, oh - who did I miss? Of course - BUR, PHX, DEN, MIA, SEA, CDG, FRA. And another hundred or three. I think I've made my point.
And .....here's the ETA for the CWD GRD! Right on time! And a genuinely-square 15x15, things are returning to normal in LAT XWD VIL
STV
17A *They're for the dogs: LEASH LAWS. Shale oil
39A. *Enter on the sly: SNEAK IN. Snake oil
11D. *Two-time women's soccer Olympic gold medalist: ABBY WAMBACH. Baby oil.
Abby is one of my sporting heroes, she took the world of soccer and shook it by the ears, was instrumental in helping build a winning national team and twice carried off Olympic gold medals. My goodness, she was a factor in so many great moments. She has one of the "Greatest Goal" headers in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final game against Brazil to tie the game at 2-2 at the death in overtime and send the tie to penalty kicks which the USA won 5-3. Carli Lloyd's feed to Megan Rapinoe and her 45-yard cross was instrumental in the strike. What a great team that was.
Enjoy it here
25D. *Gravlax: CURED SALMON.Crude oil. Food! Dill, salt, sugar, pepper and bury it in the ground :)
and the unifier, and the start of the sleuthing:
60A. Jiffy Lube service, and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues: OIL CHANGE
Wow. I was an email second away to ask for help from my fellow bloggers to figure out what on earth this them was all about, then I decided to look at the short entries first. ABBY:BABY. Oh, wait - anagrams - then CURED:CRUDE. That's another. SNEAK:SNAKE and finally .... LEASH:SHALE. In all the years I've been doing this I've never been even close to crying UNCLE finding the theme, but this one just about had me waving the white flag. The solve was straightforward, but back-tracking to find the theme - not so much.
I'd call this a meta - a puzzle solvable on its own, but you can have fun looking back to try to figure out the theme. If that was the intent, then well done, but if that is not the intent, that's a problem. The puzzle should stand up on its own as a themeless, and this doesn't really hit the mark.
There's some high spots though, let's go look for those.
Across:
1. Moment of remorse: PANG
5. Portrayer of a big scaredy-cat: LAHR. Lion, of the cowardly sort.
9. One thing on top of another: STACK
14. Saucony rival: AVIA. Running shoes. The clue is interesting. In the "obscure running shoes" category.
15. Resort town near Santa Barbara: OJAI. Up in the hills not too far from me. There's a spa/hotel which has a good reputation.
16. Buffalo hockey player: SABRE. "ER" or "RE"? Figure it out and move on.
19. French clerics: ABBÉS
20. Make rough: COARSEN
22. __ tick: disease carrier: LYME
23. Open, as toothpaste: UNCAP. "Oh, just let me uncap this toothpaste" - said nobody, ever.
26. By any means: SOME WAY
28. It may be proper: NOUN
29. Start to mature?: PRE-
32. Poll gathering: DATA
33. Lancelot and Mix-a-Lot: SIRS
34. "La Cage __ Folles": AUX. You might as well just print this in the grid as a freebie.
35. Bleak: DISMAL
38. Linguistic suffix: -ESE
41. Word before and after "oh": BOY. Boy-oh? Really? I know the Welsh affectionate "boyo", not sure about this one.
42. Freshwater minnow: RED FIN. Not a lot of meat on a red fin. Now a bluefin, you're talking sushi.
44. Chaps: MEN
45. 2002-'03 viral outbreak, briefly: SARS. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Makers of white surgical face masks have never been so happy to extend their market to the general population.
46. Together, so to speak: SANE
47. Droop: SAG
48. Plasm prefix: ECTO-
49. Followers of shots: CHASERS
52. Taj __: MAHAL. Oh, I thought it might have been Taj Smith, the famous (?) American football player, or Taj Forer, the photographer. Shame on me for overlooking the obvious.
53. Put the brakes on: HALT
54. Phantom: SPECTER
58. "Mental Illness" Grammy winner Mann: AIMEE. Thank you, crosses.
64. Engagement ring centerpiece: STONE
65. Lackluster: DRAB
66. Like some U.S. mail: CERT. Ach. Please. "I'm sending this U.S. Mail, Cert." said nobody, ever.
67. Belarus capital: MINSK
68. Start of a decision-making rhyme: EENY-
69. Actor Miller of "Justice League": EZRA. Thank you crosses. Ezra, meet Aimee.
Down:
1. Bud: PAL
2. Park in NYC, e.g.: AVE. This one made me think, and I walk up and down Park at least once a month; two of my clients have their head offices on the street. The Helmsley Building built over the top of the street at Grand Central never fails to make me smile.
3. Long of "NCIS: Los Angeles": NIA. Thank you, crosses. Nia, meet Aimee and Ezra.
4. Garage containers: GAS CANS
5. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA. Let's go with the other Lola, who "walked like a woman and talked like a man".
6. Open a bit: AJAR
7. Verbal hesitations: HAWS
8. Reacts to yeast: RISES
9. ID issuer: SSA. I didn't punctuate the SSA because ID is now a word, and not just a Latin one.
10. Laptop alternatives: TABLETS
12. Espresso foam: CREMA
13. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" novelist: KESEY
18. Short trip: HOP
21. Dropping (off): NODDING
23. Indy racing family name: UNSER
24. Din: NOISE
27. Key: MAIN
29. They go for the gold: PANNERS. Yep, I'm in a picky mood today. "He was a panner in the '49 California gold rush" - said nobody, ever.
30. Feel remorse for: RUE
31. Finals, say: EXAMS
36. Major artery: AORTA
37. Germ-killing brand: LYSOL
39. Triangle ratio: SINE. What was the aide-memoire we learned back then - soh-cah-toa? Sine = Opposite over Hypotenuse .... Mathematics exams redux.
40. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. Loa or Kea. Not Koa which was my first try. I have a koa wood ring and bracelet from Maui, so I excuse myself.
43. Buckles, as a seat belt: FASTENS
45. Yachting event, e.g.: SEA RACE
49. Great divide: CHASM
50. French-speaking Western Hemisphere country: HAITI. Not France then? Now this is oddly cunning - the Western Hemisphere is divided at the zero meridian and the 180 line at the antimeridian. France straddles the zero mark, and as such is disqualified from being a candidate answer, notwithstanding having too many letters. The only other possibility in literal terms would be Canada, but than you're talking about a minority population in Quebec, plus too many letters. A+ for educational.
51. Fine English china: SPODE. Wedgwood 1, Spode 0 in the Five Towns derby, sadly. Wedgwood cornered the marked in pale blue brooches and ornamental pottery, but Spode produced some wonderful hand-painted gold-banded white china plates. I'm with Spode - you can eat off their plates, you'd never think of serving food on a Wedgwood dish. Those bands really are painted by hand.
55. Kerry locale: EIRE
56. Extended family: CLAN
57. Frozen dessert chain: TCBY. Their website has them as "The Country's Best Yogurt". Praise the Lord for correct apostrophe usage.
59. "Yikes!": EEK
61. Pince-__ glasses: NEZ
62. Watchdog's warning: GRR
63. ORD posting: ETA. Take a three-letter airport code and attach it to ETA, and voila! A crossword clue. See also ARR, and LGW, LHR, SYD, LGA, JFK, LAX, SFO, ORD, IAH, oh - who did I miss? Of course - BUR, PHX, DEN, MIA, SEA, CDG, FRA. And another hundred or three. I think I've made my point.
And .....here's the ETA for the CWD GRD! Right on time! And a genuinely-square 15x15, things are returning to normal in LAT XWD VIL
STV
