Total words: 70
Total blocks: 30
Happy New Year, everyone! Hope your 2011 is full of love, happiness & adventures.
Today we've got a puzzle with BLUE CROSS (21D. Early hospital services insurer) right in the middle of the grid and two cross-shaped black square blocks for visual effect.
I suspect the below two are Barry's seed entries:
36A. Experimental processor : QUANTUM COMPUTER. Gimme for Al/Grumpy I guess. I struggled with the answer.
36. Fictional harpooneer : QUEEQUEG. "Moby Dick". The ship is Pequod. Three Qs & two Zs & one J in the grid. Typical Silk scrabbliness.
How's your solving experience? Lower left was particularly hard for me.
Across:
1. Builds up considerably : AMASSES
8A. Game with beehive-shaped pieces : PACHISI. National game of India. Wikipedia says "It's played on a cross-shaped board. Symmetrical cross. Maybe we can add it to Barry's cross visual then.
15. Avian activity : NESTING. Misread the clue as "Apian activity".
16. Cruel : INHUMAN
17. Start working : GET ON IT
18. Common bait : MAGGOTS. Yuck!
19. Juillet is part of it : ETE. Juillet = July in French.
20. Chess stratagem : GAMBIT
22. Pop singer/songwriter Sands : EVIE. Not familiar to me. She looks pretty.
23. Steal : LURK. Why? They are not equivalent to me.
25. Yarborough of NASCAR : CALE. Well, eddyB must know this guy. Wikipedia says he's the first NASCAR driver to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and he had total 83 NASCAR wins.
26. Fumble : ERR
27. It takes your breath away : APNEA. Gimme. I must have seen this clue before.
29. Normandy beach : JUNO. Absolutely no idea. I could only think of Omaha.
31. One with a spare in his boot : BRIT. They call trunk "boot".
32. F1 neighbor : ESC. Computer keyboard. Got me.
34. Put out : ETHERIZE
40. Like eagles : UNDER PAR. Golf. Two under par to be exact.
41. Do a typical teenager's job : SIT. MOW too.
42. Nobel Prize subj. : ECON
43. Signs of success : SROS. Sellout signs. SRO = Standing Room Only. I need abbreviation hint.
45. Some Wi-Fi offerers : CAFES
49. Great time : EON. Great clue.
50. Processing time meas. : M SEC. I like the consecutive "time" clecho.
52. Word with punch or party : LINE
53. Bit of wit : QUIP. Can you believe Wayne R. William still does the Quip puzzle every week?
55. Muezzin's temple : MOSQUE. I don't know the meaning of Muezzin. It's the mosque official who summons worshipers to pray.
57. Keep out : BAR
58. Increases : UPSIZES. Only familiar with downsizes.
60. Title lost love in a Poe poem : ULALUME. Not in my radar. Could only recall "Annabel Lee".
62. "You're my pride and joy, et cetera" girl in a Turtles hit : ELENORE. Here is the clip. You've got to commit it to your memory. ELENORE has very friendly vowel/consonant combination.
63. Fifth Greek letter : EPSILON
64. Unified whole : GESTALT
65. Expose : LAY BARE
Down:
1. German chancellor Merkel : ANGELA. Tough girl. Hard G in in her name.
2. Rendezvous : MEET UP
3. Opposite of ahead : ASTERN
4. Pou __: vantage point : STO. Greek. Literally "Where I may stand". Sto = I stand. Learning moment to me.
5. Do a number : SING
6. Room-sized computer : ENIAC
7. U.S. Army E-9 : SGT MAJ. Never know those ranks.
8. Antipasto veggie : PIMIENTO. Not to my taste.
9. It may be gross: Abbr. : ANAT. Hard clue.
10. Small fee? : CHG (Charge). "Small" indicate abbreviation I suppose.
11. Quite significant : HUGE. I like the consecutive "small" and "significant" contrast.
12. "It's okay now" : I'M OVER IT. Didn't come to me quickly.
13. Mock : SATIRIZE
14. Editor, at times : INSERTER. I'm OK with 1 or 2 ER words in a grid.
24. Actor __ Ivory Wayans : KEENEN. Is this dude very famous?
28. Celestial sci. : ASTR
30. Units measured by a multimeter : OHMS. Hmm, VirginiaSycamore just mentioned that the symbol for OHM is Omega. And the MHO symbol is an upside down Omega.
31. Painful, as honesty : BRUTAL
33. Afternoon service items : CUPS. Hello, Nice Cuppa!
35. "War and Peace," e.g. : EPIC
37. Separate : UNCOUPLE
38. Hunks : ADONISES
39. Tamarin relative : MARMOSET. Tiny squirrel like money. Another learning moment.
44. One often has a colon in its title : SEQUEL. Unexpected clue.
46. Leg bone : FIBULA
47. Bewitch : ENAMOR
48. Tranquil : SERENE
51. Apology ending : CULPA. Mea Culpa. My bad!
54. Ice cream purchase : PINT
55. Reagle of "Wordplay" : MERL. Merl is on the right (with red-colored tie). You can find my interview with him on the blog sidebar.
56. Relaxed : EASY
59. Suffix with Meso- : ZOA. Meaning "animal". Stumped me.
61. Stack site: Abbr. : LIB. Library? I've never seen this abbreviation before.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total blocks: 30
Happy New Year, everyone! Hope your 2011 is full of love, happiness & adventures.
Today we've got a puzzle with BLUE CROSS (21D. Early hospital services insurer) right in the middle of the grid and two cross-shaped black square blocks for visual effect.
I suspect the below two are Barry's seed entries:
36A. Experimental processor : QUANTUM COMPUTER. Gimme for Al/Grumpy I guess. I struggled with the answer.
36. Fictional harpooneer : QUEEQUEG. "Moby Dick". The ship is Pequod. Three Qs & two Zs & one J in the grid. Typical Silk scrabbliness.
How's your solving experience? Lower left was particularly hard for me.
Across:
1. Builds up considerably : AMASSES
8A. Game with beehive-shaped pieces : PACHISI. National game of India. Wikipedia says "It's played on a cross-shaped board. Symmetrical cross. Maybe we can add it to Barry's cross visual then.
15. Avian activity : NESTING. Misread the clue as "Apian activity".
16. Cruel : INHUMAN
17. Start working : GET ON IT
18. Common bait : MAGGOTS. Yuck!
19. Juillet is part of it : ETE. Juillet = July in French.
20. Chess stratagem : GAMBIT
22. Pop singer/songwriter Sands : EVIE. Not familiar to me. She looks pretty.
23. Steal : LURK. Why? They are not equivalent to me.
25. Yarborough of NASCAR : CALE. Well, eddyB must know this guy. Wikipedia says he's the first NASCAR driver to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and he had total 83 NASCAR wins.
26. Fumble : ERR
27. It takes your breath away : APNEA. Gimme. I must have seen this clue before.
29. Normandy beach : JUNO. Absolutely no idea. I could only think of Omaha.
31. One with a spare in his boot : BRIT. They call trunk "boot".
32. F1 neighbor : ESC. Computer keyboard. Got me.
34. Put out : ETHERIZE
40. Like eagles : UNDER PAR. Golf. Two under par to be exact.
41. Do a typical teenager's job : SIT. MOW too.
42. Nobel Prize subj. : ECON
43. Signs of success : SROS. Sellout signs. SRO = Standing Room Only. I need abbreviation hint.
45. Some Wi-Fi offerers : CAFES
49. Great time : EON. Great clue.
50. Processing time meas. : M SEC. I like the consecutive "time" clecho.
52. Word with punch or party : LINE
53. Bit of wit : QUIP. Can you believe Wayne R. William still does the Quip puzzle every week?
55. Muezzin's temple : MOSQUE. I don't know the meaning of Muezzin. It's the mosque official who summons worshipers to pray.
57. Keep out : BAR
58. Increases : UPSIZES. Only familiar with downsizes.
60. Title lost love in a Poe poem : ULALUME. Not in my radar. Could only recall "Annabel Lee".
62. "You're my pride and joy, et cetera" girl in a Turtles hit : ELENORE. Here is the clip. You've got to commit it to your memory. ELENORE has very friendly vowel/consonant combination.
63. Fifth Greek letter : EPSILON
64. Unified whole : GESTALT
65. Expose : LAY BARE
Down:
1. German chancellor Merkel : ANGELA. Tough girl. Hard G in in her name.
2. Rendezvous : MEET UP
3. Opposite of ahead : ASTERN
4. Pou __: vantage point : STO. Greek. Literally "Where I may stand". Sto = I stand. Learning moment to me.
5. Do a number : SING
6. Room-sized computer : ENIAC
7. U.S. Army E-9 : SGT MAJ. Never know those ranks.
8. Antipasto veggie : PIMIENTO. Not to my taste.
9. It may be gross: Abbr. : ANAT. Hard clue.
10. Small fee? : CHG (Charge). "Small" indicate abbreviation I suppose.
11. Quite significant : HUGE. I like the consecutive "small" and "significant" contrast.
12. "It's okay now" : I'M OVER IT. Didn't come to me quickly.
13. Mock : SATIRIZE
14. Editor, at times : INSERTER. I'm OK with 1 or 2 ER words in a grid.
24. Actor __ Ivory Wayans : KEENEN. Is this dude very famous?
28. Celestial sci. : ASTR
30. Units measured by a multimeter : OHMS. Hmm, VirginiaSycamore just mentioned that the symbol for OHM is Omega. And the MHO symbol is an upside down Omega.
31. Painful, as honesty : BRUTAL
33. Afternoon service items : CUPS. Hello, Nice Cuppa!
35. "War and Peace," e.g. : EPIC
37. Separate : UNCOUPLE
38. Hunks : ADONISES
39. Tamarin relative : MARMOSET. Tiny squirrel like money. Another learning moment.
44. One often has a colon in its title : SEQUEL. Unexpected clue.
46. Leg bone : FIBULA
47. Bewitch : ENAMOR
48. Tranquil : SERENE
51. Apology ending : CULPA. Mea Culpa. My bad!
54. Ice cream purchase : PINT
55. Reagle of "Wordplay" : MERL. Merl is on the right (with red-colored tie). You can find my interview with him on the blog sidebar.
56. Relaxed : EASY
59. Suffix with Meso- : ZOA. Meaning "animal". Stumped me.
61. Stack site: Abbr. : LIB. Library? I've never seen this abbreviation before.
Answer grid.
C.C.
