Theme: Am I Blue? - A timely question, now that summer is over. The first word of the four common phrases is a shade of blue, followed by the unifier in the SE.
20A. 1978 movie set in a Turkish prison : MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. It is based on Billy Hayes' book. Hayes was a young American student sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey. Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue, close to black.
35A. Volatile situation : POWDER KEG. Powder blue may refer to two different colors. Originally, it referred to a dark blue color, but it has since come to refer to a pale blue color. The original color is now called dark powder blue, also called smalt.
46A. White legumes : NAVY BEANS. Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black and got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748.
57A. Big name in Danish porcelain : ROYAL COPENHAGEN Founded in 1775; its mark. Royal blue is traditionally defined as a deep to dark blue, often with a purple or faint reddish tinge.
70A. Shades of it begin this puzzle's four longest answers : BLUE. Did you consider placing BLUE as the last Across entry in 73A, Donna?
Argyle here.
I hope you all had a nice Labor Day. Now you can have a nice Tuesday puzzle. (After my write-up, I notice the hardest part is the language in the clues.)
20A. 1978 movie set in a Turkish prison : MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. It is based on Billy Hayes' book. Hayes was a young American student sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey. Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue, close to black.
35A. Volatile situation : POWDER KEG. Powder blue may refer to two different colors. Originally, it referred to a dark blue color, but it has since come to refer to a pale blue color. The original color is now called dark powder blue, also called smalt.
46A. White legumes : NAVY BEANS. Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black and got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748.
57A. Big name in Danish porcelain : ROYAL COPENHAGEN Founded in 1775; its mark. Royal blue is traditionally defined as a deep to dark blue, often with a purple or faint reddish tinge.
70A. Shades of it begin this puzzle's four longest answers : BLUE. Did you consider placing BLUE as the last Across entry in 73A, Donna?
Argyle here.
I hope you all had a nice Labor Day. Now you can have a nice Tuesday puzzle. (After my write-up, I notice the hardest part is the language in the clues.)
Across:
1. Stinging flier : WASP
5. Unifying idea : THEME
10. Let the cat out of the bag : BLAB
14. Seed cover : HULL. The outer cover, the chaff.
15. "Bolero" composer : RAVEL
16. Monetary unit of Cyprus : EURO. Straight forward clue; no bread today.
17. Notion : IDEA
18. Repeated question in Matthew : IS IT I
19. Dollar dispensers, briefly : ATMS
23. Part of ESL: Abbr. : ENG. English as a second language
24. One of a "Great" quintet : ERIE. The Great Lakes.
25. Evian, e.g. : SPA. Evian-les-Bains is a lovely mountain city on the French-Swiss border.
28. Hotpoint appliances, familiarly : GES. Owned by General Electric. There is also Hotpoint appliance manufacturer in Britain but not related.
30. Peppery root veggie : RADISH
39. Because : SINCE
40. Island feast : LUAU
41. Peaceful protest : SIT IN
43. Sgts. and cpls. : NCOS
44. Real estate units : ACRES
48. Escaping, with "on" : THE LAM
50. Observe narrowly : EYE. "Narrowly" because you often squint your eyes to get a better look. The famous Eastwood squint.
51. Observe : SEE
52. "Gilligan's Island" shelters : HUTS
55. E. Coast border : ATL Atlantic Ocean.
65. Early sibling rivalry victim : ABEL
66. Mall booth : KIOSK
67. Cass's title : MAMA. Cass Elliot, of "The Mamas and Papas".
68. Scintilla : IOTA
69. Run off to get hitched : ELOPE
71. Island garlands : LEIS
72. "Robinson Crusoe" author : DEFOE. Daniel Defoe (ca. 1659-1661 – 1731)
73. Back talk : SASS
Down:
1. Caprice : WHIM
2. Car company whose name is Latin for "Hark!" : AUDI. Sona is Latin for "Honk!"
3. Winter ride : SLED
4. Carpentry smoother : PLANE. Image.
5. Gun activators : TRIGGERS
6. Diner hodgepodge dish : HASH
7. Online party notice : E-VITE. I can just imagine the groans going up when this answer was revealed.
8. Curbside payment collector : METER
9. Cure-all mixture : ELIXIR
10. Yogi or Boo-Boo : BEAR. Cartoon bears.
11. Mandolin relative : LUTE. Short clip.
12. Second Amendment subject : ARMS. Guns.
13. Chief : BOSS
21. "Bus Stop" playwright : INGE
22. They may be split in soup : PEAS
25. Water balloon sound : SPLAT
26. Marsupial's pocket : POUCH
27. Cognizant : AWARE
29. Dermatologist's concern : SKIN
31. Eat in style : DINE
32. Machu Picchu architects : INCAS
33. Pastry at a Devonshire tea : SCONE
34. "Siddhartha" author Hermann : HESSE
36. Hamilton-Burr engagement : DUEL. Hamilton lost.
37. Greek "H" : ETA
38. Rhett's last verb : GIVE
42. Pinstriped ALer : NY YANKEE. Often paired with Rhett's last noun.
45. Humorist Mort : SAHL
47. "Little Women" woman : BETH
49. Folded (one's hand), in poker slang : MUCKED. Not a term I'm familiar with.
53. Patterned fabric : TOILE. Toile, which is a French word, translates literally to 'cloth'. Its origins can be traced to Jouy-en-Josas, France, where the first commercial plant to mass produce it started production in 1760. Despite its very proper reputation, toile had a decidedly illicit beginning.
54. "SNL" staple : SPOOF. Saturday Night Live (SNL)
56. Symbols of gentleness : LAMBS
57. Pool table border : RAIL
58. Bassoon cousin : OBOE
59. Legendary Himalayan : YETI
60. Sighed word : ALAS
61. Hockey Hall of Famer Phil, to his fans : ESPO. Philip Anthony Esposito(born February 20, 1942 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey center.
62. Festive party : GALA
63. Avian Aussies : EMUS
64. Hamish's refusals : NAES. Scottish.
Answer grid.
Argyle
