Theme: None
Total words: 72
Total blocks: 29
There are total 14 multiwords in today's grid, including the lively triple stacks in upper left and lower right corners.
Normally I struggled with proper names. But today I nailed NPR's IRA GLASS (12D. "This American Life" host) and YMA SUMAC (41A. Singer in the 1954 film "Secret of the Incas"), who was born in Peru. Always nice to see their full names in the grid.
Would prefer LARUE (16A. Eva of "57-Across: Miami") clued as Lash La Rue to avoid the duplication with the answer MIAMI HEAT (59A. Team with a flaming ball in its logo).
Had my normal struggle, but fared better than I did in the past several Saturdays. Looking at my completed grid now, I do know most of the answers. It's some of the clues that are beyond my ken.
Across:
1. "Scram!": TAKE A HIKE. And OVERDID IT (15. Got very sore, maybe). So simple in retrospect.
10. Orly sight: AVION. Orly is the airport in Paris, an alternative to Charles de Gaulle.
17. If often requires a bedroom set: LOVE SCENE. Sweet clue/answer.
18. Montana motto word: PLATA. Montana motto is "Oro y Plata" (Gold and Silver).
19. Seventh-century date: DCL. Roman 650.
20. Cooper's creation: KEG. Oh, the barrel maker "Cooper". I was picturing CNN's handsome Anderson Cooper.
21. Accepted without question: BOUGHT. Bought the story, for example.
22. Pines: YEARNS
25. Kung __ chicken: PAO. With cashews sprinkled in.
27. Group that "had decayed to a mere beautiful futility": Wells: ELOI. The beautiful race in "The Time Machine", written by H. G. Wells.
28. Features of some hotels: ATRIA
29. Effort: DINT. Know this word only in the content of "by dint of".
30. King deposed in 1964: SAUD. Thought he died in his throne. Had no idea that he was deposed.
31. Go along with: ASSENT TO. Hmm, they are not synonymous to me. (Added later: I mis-read the clue as "Get along with".)
34. Vane reading: Abbr.: SSE
35. Sudafed alternative: DRISTAN. Only have ginger tea when I catch a cold.
38. Sight from Marie Byrd Land: ROSS SEA. In Antarctic. Named after the discoverer James Ross.
40. Took off: RAN
43. Like the Kalahari: ARID. Kalahari Desert.
45. Town inland of the IJsselmeer: EDAM. The Dutch cheese town. Have never heard of IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel), the largest lake in Western Europe. The Dutch digraph IJ (Y) is pronounced the same as our I.
46. Actress Gershon et al.: GINAS. Do you think Gina Gershon is beautiful?
50. It may be chased by un perro: GATO. Spanish for "cat". Was ignorant that perro is Spanish for "dog".
51. Lake Thun feeder: AAR. First encounter with Lake Thun, an Alpine Lake in Switzerland.
52. Studio renamed Paramount Television in 1967: DESILU. A combination of "Desi" (Arnaz) and "Lucille"(Ball).
53. 1986 N.L. batting champ Tim: RAINES. Gimme. I've quite a few of his baseball cards, all worthless.
55. R&B group __ Hill: DRU. The answer emerged itself.
57. Show with DNA testing: CSI
58. __-garde: AVANT. Is aprés-garde a word also?
62. Paramecium features: CILIA. Here is a good picture of paramecium lined with cilia, which stymied J.D. last time when it's clued as "eyelashes".
63. All in all: ON BALANCE
64. Test track challenges: ESSES
65. Living end: BEE'S KNEES. Old slang for something marvelous. I am not familiar with the idiom "living end" at all. It means "extraordinary".
Down:
1. Know-it-all's taunt: TOLD YA
2. Long-legged shore bird: AVOCET. With upcurved bill. Those legs are so thin.
3. Body armor fiber: KEVLAR. No idea. What's the name origin of kevlar?
4. Poet's preposition: ERE. "Before".
5. Things to zap: ADS. D'oh, the damned commercials.
6. Bumpkins: HICKS
8. Top dog: KINGPIN
9. Hiver's opposite: ETE. Hiver is French for "winter".
10. Chop House Originals brand: ALPO
11. Societal concerns: VALUES
13. Rustic place to go?: OUTHOUSE. Great clue. Way to go, Mr. Doll!
14. "Very clever!": NEAT IDEA. We also had IDEE (7D. __ fixe). French for "idea". Some solvers don't like the cognates appear in the same grid. I do.
21. Duff: BOTTOM
23. Inlets: RIAS
24. Cold and rainy, say: NASTY
26. Anatomical cavity: ANTRUM. Rooted in Greek "antron" (cave). New to me.
29. "Gracias" reply: DE NADA
32. Just like, with "the": SAME AS
33. Truman Dam river: OSAGE. Have never heard of the Truman Dam, located in Missouri.
35. Contest that's usually over in less than 20 seconds: DRAG RACE. I know nothing about drag racing. 20 seconds is too short.
36. One in a million: RARA AVIS. Can't fill in this phrase without thinking of Kazie.
37. Approves, in a way: INITIALS
39. Some H.S. courses: SCIS
42. Certain rush hour commuter, metaphorically: SARDINE
44. "__ Darko": 2001 sci-fi film: DONNIE. Here is the poster. Another complete unknown to me.
47. Christianity's __ Creed: NICENE. First adopted by the Nicene Council (325 AD).
48. French region along the Rhine: ALSACE. The Alsace-Lorraine region.
.
49. Bach compositions: SUITES
52. "The Count of Monte Cristo" author: DUMAS. I've only read the Chinese version of the book.
54. LAX postings: ETAS
56. Broccoli __: RABE. I like stir-fried broccoli rabe with a bit of garlic & red pepper.
59. Hit-making group?: MOB. Felt stupid staring at M?? forever.
60. Kind: ILK
61. Solo in space: HAN. Han Solo of "Star Wars".
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 72
Total blocks: 29
There are total 14 multiwords in today's grid, including the lively triple stacks in upper left and lower right corners.
Normally I struggled with proper names. But today I nailed NPR's IRA GLASS (12D. "This American Life" host) and YMA SUMAC (41A. Singer in the 1954 film "Secret of the Incas"), who was born in Peru. Always nice to see their full names in the grid.
Would prefer LARUE (16A. Eva of "57-Across: Miami") clued as Lash La Rue to avoid the duplication with the answer MIAMI HEAT (59A. Team with a flaming ball in its logo).
Had my normal struggle, but fared better than I did in the past several Saturdays. Looking at my completed grid now, I do know most of the answers. It's some of the clues that are beyond my ken.
Across:
1. "Scram!": TAKE A HIKE. And OVERDID IT (15. Got very sore, maybe). So simple in retrospect.
10. Orly sight: AVION. Orly is the airport in Paris, an alternative to Charles de Gaulle.
17. If often requires a bedroom set: LOVE SCENE. Sweet clue/answer.
18. Montana motto word: PLATA. Montana motto is "Oro y Plata" (Gold and Silver).
19. Seventh-century date: DCL. Roman 650.
20. Cooper's creation: KEG. Oh, the barrel maker "Cooper". I was picturing CNN's handsome Anderson Cooper.
21. Accepted without question: BOUGHT. Bought the story, for example.
22. Pines: YEARNS
25. Kung __ chicken: PAO. With cashews sprinkled in.
27. Group that "had decayed to a mere beautiful futility": Wells: ELOI. The beautiful race in "The Time Machine", written by H. G. Wells.
28. Features of some hotels: ATRIA
29. Effort: DINT. Know this word only in the content of "by dint of".
30. King deposed in 1964: SAUD. Thought he died in his throne. Had no idea that he was deposed.
31. Go along with: ASSENT TO. Hmm, they are not synonymous to me. (Added later: I mis-read the clue as "Get along with".)
34. Vane reading: Abbr.: SSE
35. Sudafed alternative: DRISTAN. Only have ginger tea when I catch a cold.
38. Sight from Marie Byrd Land: ROSS SEA. In Antarctic. Named after the discoverer James Ross.
40. Took off: RAN
43. Like the Kalahari: ARID. Kalahari Desert.
45. Town inland of the IJsselmeer: EDAM. The Dutch cheese town. Have never heard of IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel), the largest lake in Western Europe. The Dutch digraph IJ (Y) is pronounced the same as our I.
46. Actress Gershon et al.: GINAS. Do you think Gina Gershon is beautiful?
50. It may be chased by un perro: GATO. Spanish for "cat". Was ignorant that perro is Spanish for "dog".
51. Lake Thun feeder: AAR. First encounter with Lake Thun, an Alpine Lake in Switzerland.
52. Studio renamed Paramount Television in 1967: DESILU. A combination of "Desi" (Arnaz) and "Lucille"(Ball).
53. 1986 N.L. batting champ Tim: RAINES. Gimme. I've quite a few of his baseball cards, all worthless.
55. R&B group __ Hill: DRU. The answer emerged itself.
57. Show with DNA testing: CSI
58. __-garde: AVANT. Is aprés-garde a word also?
62. Paramecium features: CILIA. Here is a good picture of paramecium lined with cilia, which stymied J.D. last time when it's clued as "eyelashes".
63. All in all: ON BALANCE
64. Test track challenges: ESSES
65. Living end: BEE'S KNEES. Old slang for something marvelous. I am not familiar with the idiom "living end" at all. It means "extraordinary".
Down:
1. Know-it-all's taunt: TOLD YA
2. Long-legged shore bird: AVOCET. With upcurved bill. Those legs are so thin.
3. Body armor fiber: KEVLAR. No idea. What's the name origin of kevlar?
4. Poet's preposition: ERE. "Before".
5. Things to zap: ADS. D'oh, the damned commercials.
6. Bumpkins: HICKS
8. Top dog: KINGPIN
9. Hiver's opposite: ETE. Hiver is French for "winter".
10. Chop House Originals brand: ALPO
11. Societal concerns: VALUES
13. Rustic place to go?: OUTHOUSE. Great clue. Way to go, Mr. Doll!
14. "Very clever!": NEAT IDEA. We also had IDEE (7D. __ fixe). French for "idea". Some solvers don't like the cognates appear in the same grid. I do.
21. Duff: BOTTOM
23. Inlets: RIAS
24. Cold and rainy, say: NASTY
26. Anatomical cavity: ANTRUM. Rooted in Greek "antron" (cave). New to me.
29. "Gracias" reply: DE NADA
32. Just like, with "the": SAME AS
33. Truman Dam river: OSAGE. Have never heard of the Truman Dam, located in Missouri.
35. Contest that's usually over in less than 20 seconds: DRAG RACE. I know nothing about drag racing. 20 seconds is too short.
36. One in a million: RARA AVIS. Can't fill in this phrase without thinking of Kazie.
37. Approves, in a way: INITIALS
39. Some H.S. courses: SCIS
42. Certain rush hour commuter, metaphorically: SARDINE
44. "__ Darko": 2001 sci-fi film: DONNIE. Here is the poster. Another complete unknown to me.
47. Christianity's __ Creed: NICENE. First adopted by the Nicene Council (325 AD).
48. French region along the Rhine: ALSACE. The Alsace-Lorraine region.
.
49. Bach compositions: SUITES
52. "The Count of Monte Cristo" author: DUMAS. I've only read the Chinese version of the book.
54. LAX postings: ETAS
56. Broccoli __: RABE. I like stir-fried broccoli rabe with a bit of garlic & red pepper.
59. Hit-making group?: MOB. Felt stupid staring at M?? forever.
60. Kind: ILK
61. Solo in space: HAN. Han Solo of "Star Wars".
Answer grid.
C.C.
