Theme: AUTO REVERSE (61A. Cassette deck feature, and a hint to this puzzle's theme) - Two-word car parts are reversed in order and clued to have wacky backwards meanings, indicated with a "?".
17A. Excessive pride in one's china?: PLATE VANITY. Vanity Plate examples.
26A. Brawl during a game of musical chairs?: SEAT RUMBLE. Last built in 1939. Decapitation, really? I wonder why they're no longer an option.
36A. What Winfrey couldn't do during a noted couch-jumping episode?: CONTROL CRUISE. If you like Tom Cruise, who jumped at Oprah's couch to professed his love for his then girlfriend Katie Holmes, don't watch this...
51A. Zorro's chamois?: BLADE WIPER. Poor choice IMO. Ever try to get blood stains out of suede leather?
Al here.
Definitely a step up with tricky cluing today. Another puzzle that you look back at after solving and think, why did this take me so long? I think because of all the wrong words I put in at first.
The puzzle is noticeable for the paralleled long Downs in each quadrant, esp the two 8s in the upper right and lower left corners.
Across:
1. "__ the Line": Johnny Cash hit: I WALK. A modernized version. Definitely not traditional.
6. Beatles beat provider: STARR. I confidently put Ringo in there first.
11. "Gosh!": GEE.
14. Trailer follower: MOVIE. Kind of clever, you see the trailer first before the movie comes out, or before the movie starts. They are called trailers though, because they used to show them at the end of movies. Not marketing genius at the time.
15. She played Adrian in "Rocky": TALIA. Shire.
16. Cellular transmitter: RNA. and 52D. Cellular transmitter: PHONE. Clue echo, or clecho a la Dennis.
19. A storm might delay it: Abbr.: ARR. Arrival.
20. Sailor's rear: AFT.
21. Sorrowful comment: PITY. I took this in the sense of showing pity, not actually using the word in a sentence.
22. Congo neighbor: GABON.
24. Coveted role: LEAD. Wanted to think of some specific play or movie instead of just a general term.
29. Relevant, in law: AD REM. To the matter. Get to the point, no digression.
31. Tuxedos, often: RENTALS. I wore one once, at my brother's wedding. I don't even own a suit, myself.
32. Power source size: AAA. Battery.
34. Bolt, e.g.: EAT. And 2D. Gobbled: WOLFED. Swallow hurriedly, with little or no chewing.
35. Acquire: GET.
41. Case, for instance: Abbr.: SYN. Case and instance are synonyms: In this case; in this instance.
42. Apt. ad spec: RMS. Apartment, rooms, abbreviations.
43. Middle-earth monster: ORC. From JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novels.
44. Followed, as an impulse: ACTED ON.
47. Respectful refusal: NO SIR.
55. Chihuahua child: NINO. Spanish.
56. B on a table: BORON. A chemical symbol on the table of elements.
57. High, to Henri: HAUT. French
59. Sheet with beats, for short: EKG. A chart of heart electrical activity. From German: Elektrokardiogramm
60. Filmmaker Lee: ANG. Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, The Hulk, Brokeback Mountain. Can't pigeonhole him.
65. Ball-bearing device: TEE. Golf. I was looking for something automotive here instead.
66. Queen's mate: DRONE. Bees. Hi Melissa!
67. Reason for a raise: MERIT. I make money the old-fashioned way. I earn it. There are older professions though, and I should stop short of the obvious here.
68. Marshall Plan pres.: HST. Harry S Truman. His middle initial didn't actually stand for anything, but it was given to him in an attempt to please both grandfathers: Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. Barely born and already a politician.
69. Sighted: AIMED.
70. Thicke and Rickman: ALANS.
Down:
1. Savanna leaper: IMPALA. Or a model of Chevy to go along with the car theme.
3. 2009 James Cameron blockbuster: AVATAR.
4. Burning: LIT.
5. Medieval castle tower: KEEP. Used as a dungeon or a stronghold.
6. Clinton's department: STATE. Hillary.
7. Tucker of country: TANYA.
8. "Float like a butterfly" boxer: ALI.
9. Accel.'s opposite, in music: RIT. Accelerando, ritardando. Tempo change terms.
10. Flash Gordon weapon: RAY GUN. This is probably the inspiration for the SDI program (Reagan/Star Wars). OK, I'm so not funny.
11. Random assortments: GRAB BAGS.
12. Course taker: ENROLLEE.
13. Not kidding: EARNEST. It's important to be this.
18. It drops with fog: Abbr.: VIS. Visibility. Might have been temperature: TMP.
23. Tsp. or tbsp.: AMT. Amount measurements.
25. Jerry's comedy partner: DEAN. Martin and Lewis. And 63D. Jerry's partner: TOM. Another clecho.
27. __ II razor: TRAC.
28. Fashionably dated: RETRO.
30. Gym safety item: MAT. I had PAD here first.
33. Feathered flier: ARROW. I put AVIAN in after getting the leading A.
34. Trains overhead: ELS.
36. Twisters: CYCLONES. Greek kyklon "moving in a circle, whirling around"
37. In line with the goal: ON TARGET.
38. Defunct sci-fi magazine: OMNI. Why we're alone in the universe. A short story that appeared in the magazine. I used to subscribe...
39. Vase relative: URN.
40. Clickable pic: ICON. Greek: eikon "likeness, image, portrait"
41. Day of rest: SABBATH.
45. Fishing village that became Tokyo: EDO. Picture from 1865-66
46. "Gracias" response: DE NADA. Spanish: thank you; it's nothing.
48. High chain: SIERRA. Mountain chain.
49. Finalizes, as a cel: INKS IN. Hand-colors one frame of animation, (of which you need anywhere from 10-30 for just one second of film).
50. Word-for-word reference?: ROGETS. Thesaurus. Used to substitute words, as in a homework assignment.
53. Like cornstalks: EARED. Seemed too obvious to be correct.
54. Wish one hadn't: RUE.
58. Adult cable rating: TV-MA. The following program is intended for mature audiences. Viewer discretion advised.
62. Alleged spoon-bender Geller: URI.
64. Sushi fish: EEL. Unagi.
Answer Grid.
Al
17A. Excessive pride in one's china?: PLATE VANITY. Vanity Plate examples.
26A. Brawl during a game of musical chairs?: SEAT RUMBLE. Last built in 1939. Decapitation, really? I wonder why they're no longer an option.
36A. What Winfrey couldn't do during a noted couch-jumping episode?: CONTROL CRUISE. If you like Tom Cruise, who jumped at Oprah's couch to professed his love for his then girlfriend Katie Holmes, don't watch this...
51A. Zorro's chamois?: BLADE WIPER. Poor choice IMO. Ever try to get blood stains out of suede leather?
Al here.
Definitely a step up with tricky cluing today. Another puzzle that you look back at after solving and think, why did this take me so long? I think because of all the wrong words I put in at first.
The puzzle is noticeable for the paralleled long Downs in each quadrant, esp the two 8s in the upper right and lower left corners.
Across:
1. "__ the Line": Johnny Cash hit: I WALK. A modernized version. Definitely not traditional.
6. Beatles beat provider: STARR. I confidently put Ringo in there first.
11. "Gosh!": GEE.
14. Trailer follower: MOVIE. Kind of clever, you see the trailer first before the movie comes out, or before the movie starts. They are called trailers though, because they used to show them at the end of movies. Not marketing genius at the time.
15. She played Adrian in "Rocky": TALIA. Shire.
16. Cellular transmitter: RNA. and 52D. Cellular transmitter: PHONE. Clue echo, or clecho a la Dennis.
19. A storm might delay it: Abbr.: ARR. Arrival.
20. Sailor's rear: AFT.
21. Sorrowful comment: PITY. I took this in the sense of showing pity, not actually using the word in a sentence.
22. Congo neighbor: GABON.
24. Coveted role: LEAD. Wanted to think of some specific play or movie instead of just a general term.
29. Relevant, in law: AD REM. To the matter. Get to the point, no digression.
31. Tuxedos, often: RENTALS. I wore one once, at my brother's wedding. I don't even own a suit, myself.
32. Power source size: AAA. Battery.
34. Bolt, e.g.: EAT. And 2D. Gobbled: WOLFED. Swallow hurriedly, with little or no chewing.
35. Acquire: GET.
41. Case, for instance: Abbr.: SYN. Case and instance are synonyms: In this case; in this instance.
42. Apt. ad spec: RMS. Apartment, rooms, abbreviations.
43. Middle-earth monster: ORC. From JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novels.
44. Followed, as an impulse: ACTED ON.
47. Respectful refusal: NO SIR.
55. Chihuahua child: NINO. Spanish.
56. B on a table: BORON. A chemical symbol on the table of elements.
57. High, to Henri: HAUT. French
59. Sheet with beats, for short: EKG. A chart of heart electrical activity. From German: Elektrokardiogramm
60. Filmmaker Lee: ANG. Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, The Hulk, Brokeback Mountain. Can't pigeonhole him.
65. Ball-bearing device: TEE. Golf. I was looking for something automotive here instead.
66. Queen's mate: DRONE. Bees. Hi Melissa!
67. Reason for a raise: MERIT. I make money the old-fashioned way. I earn it. There are older professions though, and I should stop short of the obvious here.
68. Marshall Plan pres.: HST. Harry S Truman. His middle initial didn't actually stand for anything, but it was given to him in an attempt to please both grandfathers: Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. Barely born and already a politician.
69. Sighted: AIMED.
70. Thicke and Rickman: ALANS.
Down:
1. Savanna leaper: IMPALA. Or a model of Chevy to go along with the car theme.
3. 2009 James Cameron blockbuster: AVATAR.
4. Burning: LIT.
5. Medieval castle tower: KEEP. Used as a dungeon or a stronghold.
6. Clinton's department: STATE. Hillary.
7. Tucker of country: TANYA.
8. "Float like a butterfly" boxer: ALI.
9. Accel.'s opposite, in music: RIT. Accelerando, ritardando. Tempo change terms.
10. Flash Gordon weapon: RAY GUN. This is probably the inspiration for the SDI program (Reagan/Star Wars). OK, I'm so not funny.
11. Random assortments: GRAB BAGS.
12. Course taker: ENROLLEE.
13. Not kidding: EARNEST. It's important to be this.
18. It drops with fog: Abbr.: VIS. Visibility. Might have been temperature: TMP.
23. Tsp. or tbsp.: AMT. Amount measurements.
25. Jerry's comedy partner: DEAN. Martin and Lewis. And 63D. Jerry's partner: TOM. Another clecho.
27. __ II razor: TRAC.
28. Fashionably dated: RETRO.
30. Gym safety item: MAT. I had PAD here first.
33. Feathered flier: ARROW. I put AVIAN in after getting the leading A.
34. Trains overhead: ELS.
36. Twisters: CYCLONES. Greek kyklon "moving in a circle, whirling around"
37. In line with the goal: ON TARGET.
38. Defunct sci-fi magazine: OMNI. Why we're alone in the universe. A short story that appeared in the magazine. I used to subscribe...
39. Vase relative: URN.
40. Clickable pic: ICON. Greek: eikon "likeness, image, portrait"
41. Day of rest: SABBATH.
45. Fishing village that became Tokyo: EDO. Picture from 1865-66
46. "Gracias" response: DE NADA. Spanish: thank you; it's nothing.
48. High chain: SIERRA. Mountain chain.
49. Finalizes, as a cel: INKS IN. Hand-colors one frame of animation, (of which you need anywhere from 10-30 for just one second of film).
50. Word-for-word reference?: ROGETS. Thesaurus. Used to substitute words, as in a homework assignment.
53. Like cornstalks: EARED. Seemed too obvious to be correct.
54. Wish one hadn't: RUE.
58. Adult cable rating: TV-MA. The following program is intended for mature audiences. Viewer discretion advised.
62. Alleged spoon-bender Geller: URI.
64. Sushi fish: EEL. Unagi.
Answer Grid.
Al
