Theme: Death and ... taxes. The inevitable turns up today to celebrate July 4th. Maybe an odd choice but ...
17A. Meets unexpectedly: BUMPS INTO. Sin Tax. Excise levied on products the experts in the know think you shouldn't be buying. Tobacco, alcohol, etc. What about cheese?
23A. Works with one's private tutor, say: TAKES A LESSON. Sales tax. Getting out of hand here in California. We already have one of the highest ....
34A. Emergency run-through opening: THIS IS JUST A TEST. ... state taxes in the Union.
46A. Utah's state tree: QUAKING ASPEN. I'd never heard of the tree - well, the "quaking" part. We quake when the gas tax is increased, it seems like every budget. Pretty trees though ...
56A. Income-reducing inequity, or what can be found in the four other longest puzzle answers: HIDDEN TAX. I like the "inequity" part of the clue. Tax Freedom day was April 16th this year - the day you stop paying taxes to the Government and start making money for yourself.
Fun theme from Ed, and as usual, a nice grid, tight theme and pleasant fill. Let's see what else we've got:
Across:
1. Settle for leftovers: EAT IN
6. "A revolution is not a dinner party" statesman: MAO
9. Additions to the staff: HIRES. Deductions from the staff: FIRES. Admirable symmetry. Happier to be a hire than a fire.
14. Petting zoo critter: LLAMA. These buggers are nasty, I'm not sure they're really petting zoo candidates, they bite and have an amazing ability to spit.
15. Wayfarer's stop: INN
16. Lexus rival: ACURA
19. Connecting waterway: CANAL
20. Rock band need: AMP. I'd say "amps". Famously, the Rolling Stones brought the bass player Bill Wyman into the band because he owned an amp. I don't think Keith Richard liked him a whole lot, in his autobiography he mentioned Wyman twice - when he joined the band and when he quit. That's about 40 years of total anonymity, which seems unfair.
21. Board game with rooms: CLUE. Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Candlestick. Fun game.
22. Woo with a tune: SING TO
25. Emily Dickinson's hometown: AMHERST. Most of her work was never seen until her death, and even then was heavily edited.
28. Longtime nighttime host: LENO
29. Bread brushed with ghee: NAAN. Food! I usually stick to chapatis with Indian food, the naan are very filling.
30. Zipped: SPED
31. Feathery wrap: BOA
39. Tennis' Andy Murray's title: SIR. Wimbledon started this week, so very apt. By the way, it's "Wimbledon" with a "D", not "Wimbleton". Thank you.
40. Bud: CHUM
41. Sign of holiness: HALO
42. Facial tissue?: SKIN
43. Opposite of engagement: BOREDOM
50. When many workdays start: AT NINE. Mine usually kicks off at six - timezone issues with head office.
51. Said, "The dog ate my homework," probably: LIED. I'd love to know what the reaction is if your dog really ate your homework and you tried that excuse?
52. Notable period: ERA
55. Church offering: TITHE. Is it 5% of what you make? Seems a lot.
58. Fake handle: ALIAS
59. Many a Monopoly sq.: AVE. From memory, the British Monopoly board has only one - Northumberland Avenue, just off Trafalgar Square. When I visit London, my go-to hotel is on that street.
60. "Live at the Acropolis" keyboardist: YANNI. Who? Thank you, crosses.
61. Takes it easy: RESTS
62. "Let's do it!": YES!
63. Mild oath: EGADS!
Down:
1. Idris of "Luther": ELBA
2. College benefactor: ALUM
3. Pack (down): TAMP
4. Little dickens: IMP
5. Brickyard 400 acronym: NASCAR. I just saw an interview with Tony Stewart on Dan Patrick's Audience Network show. He was asked "What p*sses you off?" and after the "How long do we have?" response, he said, as the show was taped in LA - "Anyone that drives a Prius", I had to give a golf clap to that response.
6. Courtly dance: MINUET
7. Pays for a hand: ANTES. Poker. Ante up, people.
8. Middle name adopted by John Lennon: ONO
9. Mexicali mansion: HACIENDA
10. "Just you watch me": I CAN SO. Hopefully not ending in tears.
11. Steps up a ladder: RUNGS
12. Poetry Muse: ERATO
13. Place for a makeover: SALON
18. Sorts: ILKS
22. Icy forecast: SLEET
23. Change for a 50: TENS
24. "Heidi" setting: ALPS
25. Armadillo meal: ANTS
26. When repeated, fish on a menu: MAHI
27. Tresses: HAIR
30. Dim __: traditional Chinese food: SUM. I think we had a discussion about this a couple of weeks ago. The last time we were in the UK, we found a dim sum restaurant with a completely gluten-free menu, to the delight of my friend who can't eat wheat. It was worth every bite.
31. Spot on a sweater?: BEAD
32. Peace Prize city: OSLO
33. Minute matter: ATOM
35. Gross quality: ICKINESS
36. Stand out: SHINE
37. Freud contemporary: JUNG
38. If so: THEN
42. Schusser's topper: SKI HAT "Schuss" is the downhill ski tuck position, not turns, just get down as fast as you can.
43. They're usually not hits: B-SIDES. I think the Beatles might argue this, some of their b-sides were more successful than the "A"'s. Here's an example!
44. Columnist's page: OP-ED
45. Overnight flight: RED-EYE. I've experienced plenty of these, absolutely horrible, I refuse to fly red-eyes as much as possible
46. Saudi Arabia's neighbor: QATAR
47. Of practical value: UTILE. I Like this word, and resolve to use it more often.
48. Voices against: ANTIS
49. Vibrant: ALIVE
52. Italian peak: ETNA
53. McNally's mapmaking partner: RAND. Did you know that Mason and Dixon, who plotted the line, were both British? One was a mapmaker, the other an astronomer.
54. Geometric reference line: AXIS
56. __ fever: HAY
57. Scraggly horse: NAG
I think that might be it from me today. Under a time-crunch, so maybe not a lot of color today, for which my apologies. However, here's the grid with some theme-color to make up for it.
Steve
17A. Meets unexpectedly: BUMPS INTO. Sin Tax. Excise levied on products the experts in the know think you shouldn't be buying. Tobacco, alcohol, etc. What about cheese?
23A. Works with one's private tutor, say: TAKES A LESSON. Sales tax. Getting out of hand here in California. We already have one of the highest ....
34A. Emergency run-through opening: THIS IS JUST A TEST. ... state taxes in the Union.
46A. Utah's state tree: QUAKING ASPEN. I'd never heard of the tree - well, the "quaking" part. We quake when the gas tax is increased, it seems like every budget. Pretty trees though ...
56A. Income-reducing inequity, or what can be found in the four other longest puzzle answers: HIDDEN TAX. I like the "inequity" part of the clue. Tax Freedom day was April 16th this year - the day you stop paying taxes to the Government and start making money for yourself.
Fun theme from Ed, and as usual, a nice grid, tight theme and pleasant fill. Let's see what else we've got:
Across:
1. Settle for leftovers: EAT IN
6. "A revolution is not a dinner party" statesman: MAO
9. Additions to the staff: HIRES. Deductions from the staff: FIRES. Admirable symmetry. Happier to be a hire than a fire.
14. Petting zoo critter: LLAMA. These buggers are nasty, I'm not sure they're really petting zoo candidates, they bite and have an amazing ability to spit.
15. Wayfarer's stop: INN
16. Lexus rival: ACURA
19. Connecting waterway: CANAL
20. Rock band need: AMP. I'd say "amps". Famously, the Rolling Stones brought the bass player Bill Wyman into the band because he owned an amp. I don't think Keith Richard liked him a whole lot, in his autobiography he mentioned Wyman twice - when he joined the band and when he quit. That's about 40 years of total anonymity, which seems unfair.
21. Board game with rooms: CLUE. Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Candlestick. Fun game.
22. Woo with a tune: SING TO
25. Emily Dickinson's hometown: AMHERST. Most of her work was never seen until her death, and even then was heavily edited.
28. Longtime nighttime host: LENO
29. Bread brushed with ghee: NAAN. Food! I usually stick to chapatis with Indian food, the naan are very filling.
30. Zipped: SPED
31. Feathery wrap: BOA
39. Tennis' Andy Murray's title: SIR. Wimbledon started this week, so very apt. By the way, it's "Wimbledon" with a "D", not "Wimbleton". Thank you.
40. Bud: CHUM
41. Sign of holiness: HALO
42. Facial tissue?: SKIN
43. Opposite of engagement: BOREDOM
50. When many workdays start: AT NINE. Mine usually kicks off at six - timezone issues with head office.
51. Said, "The dog ate my homework," probably: LIED. I'd love to know what the reaction is if your dog really ate your homework and you tried that excuse?
52. Notable period: ERA
55. Church offering: TITHE. Is it 5% of what you make? Seems a lot.
58. Fake handle: ALIAS
59. Many a Monopoly sq.: AVE. From memory, the British Monopoly board has only one - Northumberland Avenue, just off Trafalgar Square. When I visit London, my go-to hotel is on that street.
60. "Live at the Acropolis" keyboardist: YANNI. Who? Thank you, crosses.
61. Takes it easy: RESTS
62. "Let's do it!": YES!
63. Mild oath: EGADS!
Down:
1. Idris of "Luther": ELBA
2. College benefactor: ALUM
3. Pack (down): TAMP
4. Little dickens: IMP
5. Brickyard 400 acronym: NASCAR. I just saw an interview with Tony Stewart on Dan Patrick's Audience Network show. He was asked "What p*sses you off?" and after the "How long do we have?" response, he said, as the show was taped in LA - "Anyone that drives a Prius", I had to give a golf clap to that response.
6. Courtly dance: MINUET
7. Pays for a hand: ANTES. Poker. Ante up, people.
8. Middle name adopted by John Lennon: ONO
9. Mexicali mansion: HACIENDA
10. "Just you watch me": I CAN SO. Hopefully not ending in tears.
11. Steps up a ladder: RUNGS
12. Poetry Muse: ERATO
13. Place for a makeover: SALON
18. Sorts: ILKS
22. Icy forecast: SLEET
23. Change for a 50: TENS
24. "Heidi" setting: ALPS
25. Armadillo meal: ANTS
26. When repeated, fish on a menu: MAHI
27. Tresses: HAIR
30. Dim __: traditional Chinese food: SUM. I think we had a discussion about this a couple of weeks ago. The last time we were in the UK, we found a dim sum restaurant with a completely gluten-free menu, to the delight of my friend who can't eat wheat. It was worth every bite.
31. Spot on a sweater?: BEAD
32. Peace Prize city: OSLO
33. Minute matter: ATOM
35. Gross quality: ICKINESS
36. Stand out: SHINE
37. Freud contemporary: JUNG
38. If so: THEN
42. Schusser's topper: SKI HAT "Schuss" is the downhill ski tuck position, not turns, just get down as fast as you can.
43. They're usually not hits: B-SIDES. I think the Beatles might argue this, some of their b-sides were more successful than the "A"'s. Here's an example!
44. Columnist's page: OP-ED
45. Overnight flight: RED-EYE. I've experienced plenty of these, absolutely horrible, I refuse to fly red-eyes as much as possible
46. Saudi Arabia's neighbor: QATAR
47. Of practical value: UTILE. I Like this word, and resolve to use it more often.
48. Voices against: ANTIS
49. Vibrant: ALIVE
52. Italian peak: ETNA
53. McNally's mapmaking partner: RAND. Did you know that Mason and Dixon, who plotted the line, were both British? One was a mapmaker, the other an astronomer.
54. Geometric reference line: AXIS
56. __ fever: HAY
57. Scraggly horse: NAG
I think that might be it from me today. Under a time-crunch, so maybe not a lot of color today, for which my apologies. However, here's the grid with some theme-color to make up for it.
Steve
