Theme: Doh! Homer Simpson feeling right at home in this puzzle!
17A. Fail at a barbecue?: FLAME OUT
23A. Fail on a field?: DROP THE BALL. Our GOAT at 59D rarely fumbles, but it does happen:
36A. Fail in a ring?: TAKE IT ON THE CHIN. Generally a "lights out" moment.
46A. Fail at a dock?: MISS THE BOAT
58A. Fail on a dance floor?: FALL FLAT. Usually "dad dances" at weddings end this way.
Fun theme from Paul, five epic fails, but the puzzle doesn't make a sixth, thank goodness. Some good stuff in the fill, full of learning moments for me. Time to take the tour.
Across:
1. Color similar to sand: ECRU
5. NBC show since 1975: SNL
8. Instrument played with a plectrum: GUITAR. More commonly called a pick.
14. Lorelei Lee's creator: LOOS. A character in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". A Google search for the name brought up something which I wasn't quite expecting; she is also an actress in *ahem* movies of a "saucy" nature.
15. Middling grade: CEE
16. Con: INMATE
19. One of the lesser apes: GIBBON
20. Star in the Plowman constellation: ARCTURUS. I'd never heard of the constellation, let alone the star. The crosses filled most of it in nicely for me though.
22. Fancy home: VILLA
25. Pressure: STRESS
29. Simple partner?: PURE. Pure and Simple.
30. OPEC member: IRAN
31. Head lock: TRESS
33. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE. The band name vaguely rings a bell, but you could hold my feet to a very large fire I woudn't be able to tell you anything about them or their songs.
40. Artist's skill: EYE
41. Like crook and creek, etymologically: NORSE
42. Nesting site: EAVE
43. One spelling a superior: Abbr.: ASST. "Spell" in this sense is firmly North American English. A backup will spell someone for a time to give them a rest; often used in a sporting context.
44. Bread flavoring: GINGER
51. Cheapen: ABASE
52. Beachgoer's protection: SUN BLOCK
56. Big name in sports caps: NEW ERA. A really big name. New Era supply all the Major League Baseball caps, both the ones worn by the players and officials and those sold to the fans.
60. Competed on TV's "Ink Master": TATTED
61. Quaint word of disapproval: FIE. As Olivia remarks of Sir Toby in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:
62. Game for which Wyatt Earp was once a dealer: FARO
63. "In the Land of Israel" author: AMOS OZ. Thank you, crosses. And thank you Lemonade, for correcting my parsing.
64. Age abbr.: YRS
65. Triathlon part: SWIM. The first leg, then the bike and the run. When I was entering triathlons back in my yoot, I was never sure how to say that I was "doing" one the next day. You can say you're running a 10k, or riding in a bike race, or swimming at a meet, but what do you say for a tri? I'm swibikrunning tomorrow? I stuck to "doing".
Down:
1. "The Lord of the Rings" figure: ELF. Could easily be "ENT" so wait for the crosses.
2. Roy Rogers ingredient: COLA. Nice, I didn't know this. One of the original "mocktails": Grenadine, Coke and a Maraschino cherry.
3. Big laugh: ROAR
4. Letters at Camp Lejeune: USMC. Oorah!
5. Scrubs: SCOURS
6. Introduction to chemistry?: NEURO-
7. Abate: LET UP
8. Band booking: GIG
9. TV's "Fringe" involved a parallel one: UNIVERSE. I never saw the show, but "parallel" is all you need to solve this one.
10. Drink: IMBIBE. Can you imbibe a mocktail? I'm not sure you can.
11. Indian drum: TABLA.
12. Bikini, for one: ATOLL
13. Kidney-related: RENAL
18. LAX listings: ETD'S
21. City WNW of Boca: ST. PETE. Actually "St. Petersburg". I assume Floridians know the affectionate term for the city, but I'd have liked to see something alluding to that in the clue.
24. "Pipe down!": HUSH
25. Place: SITE
26. Cafeteria item: TRAY. I cannot resist the tempation to link this Eddie Izzard monologue accompanying a Lego animation. I've linked it before but it never fails to make me laugh.
27. Autumn item: RAKE
28. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.: ENE
31. Rich desserts: TORTES
32. ER staffers: RN'S
33. Catch during practice: SHAG. Stop sniggering, you Brits at the back. Shag is a slang word for an *ahem* adult activity.
34. Busy place: HIVE
35. Dept. formed under Carter: ENER.
37. Like much FM radio: IN STEREO. Aren't all FM broadcasts in stereo? There's not much point using an FM wavelength otherwise.
38. Brit's "Baloney!": TOSH!
39. 100 yrs.: CEN. I wasn't sure about the abbreviation here. I tried CTY first, but then Century City here in LA would be CTY CTY.
43. Holdings: ASSETS
44. Hawthorne title septet: GABLES
45. "__ take time": IT'LL
46. Reef denizen: MANTA
47. Construction girder: I-BEAM
48. Took care of: SAW TO
49. Role for Kristy and Sarah: BUFFY. Vampire Slayers. Kristy Swanson played Buffy in the movie, Sarah Michelle Gellar played her in the TV series.
50. Live, TV-wise: ON AIR
53. Rubs out: OFFS. Mob slang.
54. Cat's scratcher: CLAW
55. Byron of "MythBusters": KARI. She is great. She's part of the innovative toy company "Smart Gurlz" aimed at helping girls aged six and upwards immerse themselves in science, tech, engineering and math.
57. Cutting tool: ADZ
59. Brady of Tampa Bay, now: TOM. The GOAT will be facing a brand new challenge when the NFL season kicks off again, whenever that will be.
And that wraps things up for me. Here's the grid!
Steve
17A. Fail at a barbecue?: FLAME OUT
23A. Fail on a field?: DROP THE BALL. Our GOAT at 59D rarely fumbles, but it does happen:
36A. Fail in a ring?: TAKE IT ON THE CHIN. Generally a "lights out" moment.
46A. Fail at a dock?: MISS THE BOAT
58A. Fail on a dance floor?: FALL FLAT. Usually "dad dances" at weddings end this way.
Fun theme from Paul, five epic fails, but the puzzle doesn't make a sixth, thank goodness. Some good stuff in the fill, full of learning moments for me. Time to take the tour.
Across:
1. Color similar to sand: ECRU
5. NBC show since 1975: SNL
8. Instrument played with a plectrum: GUITAR. More commonly called a pick.
14. Lorelei Lee's creator: LOOS. A character in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". A Google search for the name brought up something which I wasn't quite expecting; she is also an actress in *ahem* movies of a "saucy" nature.
15. Middling grade: CEE
16. Con: INMATE
19. One of the lesser apes: GIBBON
20. Star in the Plowman constellation: ARCTURUS. I'd never heard of the constellation, let alone the star. The crosses filled most of it in nicely for me though.
22. Fancy home: VILLA
25. Pressure: STRESS
29. Simple partner?: PURE. Pure and Simple.
30. OPEC member: IRAN
31. Head lock: TRESS
33. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE. The band name vaguely rings a bell, but you could hold my feet to a very large fire I woudn't be able to tell you anything about them or their songs.
40. Artist's skill: EYE
41. Like crook and creek, etymologically: NORSE
42. Nesting site: EAVE
43. One spelling a superior: Abbr.: ASST. "Spell" in this sense is firmly North American English. A backup will spell someone for a time to give them a rest; often used in a sporting context.
44. Bread flavoring: GINGER
51. Cheapen: ABASE
52. Beachgoer's protection: SUN BLOCK
56. Big name in sports caps: NEW ERA. A really big name. New Era supply all the Major League Baseball caps, both the ones worn by the players and officials and those sold to the fans.
60. Competed on TV's "Ink Master": TATTED
61. Quaint word of disapproval: FIE. As Olivia remarks of Sir Toby in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:
"Fetch him off, I pray you; he speaks nothing but madman. Fie on him!".
I LOVE that expression "he speaks nothing but madman". I'm using that at the first opportunity.
62. Game for which Wyatt Earp was once a dealer: FARO
63. "In the Land of Israel" author: AMOS OZ. Thank you, crosses. And thank you Lemonade, for correcting my parsing.
64. Age abbr.: YRS
65. Triathlon part: SWIM. The first leg, then the bike and the run. When I was entering triathlons back in my yoot, I was never sure how to say that I was "doing" one the next day. You can say you're running a 10k, or riding in a bike race, or swimming at a meet, but what do you say for a tri? I'm swibikrunning tomorrow? I stuck to "doing".
Down:
1. "The Lord of the Rings" figure: ELF. Could easily be "ENT" so wait for the crosses.
2. Roy Rogers ingredient: COLA. Nice, I didn't know this. One of the original "mocktails": Grenadine, Coke and a Maraschino cherry.
3. Big laugh: ROAR
4. Letters at Camp Lejeune: USMC. Oorah!
5. Scrubs: SCOURS
6. Introduction to chemistry?: NEURO-
7. Abate: LET UP
8. Band booking: GIG
9. TV's "Fringe" involved a parallel one: UNIVERSE. I never saw the show, but "parallel" is all you need to solve this one.
10. Drink: IMBIBE. Can you imbibe a mocktail? I'm not sure you can.
11. Indian drum: TABLA.
12. Bikini, for one: ATOLL
13. Kidney-related: RENAL
18. LAX listings: ETD'S
21. City WNW of Boca: ST. PETE. Actually "St. Petersburg". I assume Floridians know the affectionate term for the city, but I'd have liked to see something alluding to that in the clue.
24. "Pipe down!": HUSH
25. Place: SITE
26. Cafeteria item: TRAY. I cannot resist the tempation to link this Eddie Izzard monologue accompanying a Lego animation. I've linked it before but it never fails to make me laugh.
27. Autumn item: RAKE
28. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.: ENE
31. Rich desserts: TORTES
32. ER staffers: RN'S
33. Catch during practice: SHAG. Stop sniggering, you Brits at the back. Shag is a slang word for an *ahem* adult activity.
34. Busy place: HIVE
35. Dept. formed under Carter: ENER.
37. Like much FM radio: IN STEREO. Aren't all FM broadcasts in stereo? There's not much point using an FM wavelength otherwise.
38. Brit's "Baloney!": TOSH!
39. 100 yrs.: CEN. I wasn't sure about the abbreviation here. I tried CTY first, but then Century City here in LA would be CTY CTY.
43. Holdings: ASSETS
44. Hawthorne title septet: GABLES
45. "__ take time": IT'LL
46. Reef denizen: MANTA
47. Construction girder: I-BEAM
48. Took care of: SAW TO
49. Role for Kristy and Sarah: BUFFY. Vampire Slayers. Kristy Swanson played Buffy in the movie, Sarah Michelle Gellar played her in the TV series.
50. Live, TV-wise: ON AIR
53. Rubs out: OFFS. Mob slang.
54. Cat's scratcher: CLAW
55. Byron of "MythBusters": KARI. She is great. She's part of the innovative toy company "Smart Gurlz" aimed at helping girls aged six and upwards immerse themselves in science, tech, engineering and math.
57. Cutting tool: ADZ
59. Brady of Tampa Bay, now: TOM. The GOAT will be facing a brand new challenge when the NFL season kicks off again, whenever that will be.
And that wraps things up for me. Here's the grid!
Steve
