The Monster Mash: The first word of each theme answer is a CREATURE, but not necessarily a monster.
43-Across. * Bookmark, in a way: DOG EAR.
46-Across. * Frame style of some vintage glasses: CAT EYE. This is an apropos clue. Just last week, the Google Doodle celebrated the 116th anniversary of the birth of Altina Schinasi (Aug. 4, 1907 ~ Aug. 19, 1999). She was an artist, inventor, and designer of the distinctive cat-eye glasses. I find it fascinating that at the time, she was working as a window dresser for the upscale Bonwit Teller department store and collaborated with Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904 ~ Jan. 23, 1989).
3-Down. * Speaker at a protest?: BULL HORN.
7-Down. * Spout shape for some kettles: GOOSE NECK.
11-Down. * Fan-shaped breakfast pastry: BEAR CLAW. Yummers!
And the Unifier:
60-Across. Monster movie, and what the answer to each starred clue has?: CREATURE FEATURE. [NOTE: Sometimes when writing the commentary, I get lost in the forrest and miss the trees. That happened today. Many thanks to Jinx in Norfolk, who pointed out that each theme answer is actually a two word construction. The first word is the Creature and the second word is a Feature of that Creature.]
Across:
1. Student __ relief: DEBT. It's been in the news a lot
recently. Enough said.
5. Copperfield field: MAGIC. Not the Dicken's character, but
the American magician whose birth name is David Seth Kotkin (b. Sept. 16,
1956). [Name # 1.]
10. Reading basics: ABCs.
14. Grad: ALUM.
15. Sweet smell of success, at a bakery: AROMA.
16. "Drag Me to Dinner" judge __ Patrick Harris: NEIL.
Patrick Neil Harris (b. June 15, 1973) is best known for his comedic
roles in sit-coms, such as Doogie Howser, M.D., and How I Met Your Mother. [Name # 2.]
17. Grocery section: DELI.
18. Subway map dots: STOPS.
|
| The London Tube map. |
19. Spanish cat: GATO. Spanish for Hahtool. Hi, JD.
Do you still do the crossword puzzles?
20. Oft-torn knee pt.: ACL. ACL = Anterior Cruciate Ligament. This injury appears with some frequency.
21. Pattern with teardrop shapes: PAISLEY. Paisley Park was the home of Prince.
23. Seeded bread: RYE. Yummers!
24. Biblical "you": THEE. Only if one is referring to the
English translation of the King James Bible. A brief history of
the King James Bible.
26. Have a look at: SEE.
27. Per person: EACH.
29. Pitchfork projection: PRONG.
30. Gasteyer of "American Auto": ANA. Ana Kristina Gasteyer
(b. May 4, 1967) is probably best known for being a cast member on Saturday Night Live. She starred in the recently cancelled sit-com American Auto. [Name # 3.]
31. God of Islam: ALLAH.
33. Civil offenses: TORTS.
34. Mario Bros. console: NES. NES = Nintendo Entertainment System.
35. Item held by Lady Justice: SCALE. It's said Justice is
Blind, meaning that it should be impartial and objective.
36. Latin years: ANNI. Today's Latin lesson.
37. Knight clubs: MACES. Cute clue.
39. Parliament members: OWLS.
40. Powder on a gymnast's uniform: CHALK DUST.
50. Charlottesville sch.: UVA. As in the University of Virginia.
51. Prepare cocktails: MIX.
53. Cloud location: SKY. We had a powerful thunderstorm here
last week, that caused lots of rain, wind and wide-spread power outages.
54. Org. that issues Challenge America grants: NEA. NEA
= National Endowment for the Arts. According to the NEA website, Challenge America Grants are designed to offer "support primarily to small
organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach
of the arts to groups/communities with rich and dynamic artistic and cultural
contributions to share that are underserved."
55. Fill-in worker: TEMP.
57. By the book: LEGAL.
59. Michelangelo's "The Creation of __": ADAM. The Creation of Adam is a fresco on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel. It was painted by Michelangelo (né Michelangelo di Lodovico
Buonarroti Simoni; Mar. 6, 1475 ~ Feb. 18, 1564) sometime between 1508 and
1512. He had been commissioned to paint the ceiling and it took him
about 4 years to complete the project. [Name adjacent]
63. Attach, as a trailer: HITCH.
64. Individual: ONE.
65. Preserves in brine: CORNS. Before there was
refrigeration, people used salt to preserve food, such as beef.
Think Corned Beef. The name came from the corn kernel-sized grains of salt in which the
meat would be packed and stored.
66. French head: TÊTE. Today's French lesson.
67. Strikes (out): XES.
68. Mimics: APES.
Down:
1. Father, in baby talk: DADA.
2. Subatomic particle in a cloud: ELECTRON.
4. "No more details pls": TMI. Textspeak for Too Much Information.
5. Tortilla dough: MASA. It's made of ground corn.
Everything you wanted to know about MASA, including a recipe, but didn't know to ask.
6. Like some farmers market products: ARTISANAL. What are
ARTISANAL farmers market products? They might be breads, cheeses, fruit
preserves, cured meats, oils, and vinegars that are home made.
8. "That makes me very happy": I'M PLEASED.
9. Suffix with suit or brief: CASE.
|
| I've had this experience! |
10. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG. Before it was a
movie, Life of Pi was a novel by Yann Martel (b. June 25,
1963). The book was adapted to the 2012 movie directed by Ang Lee (b.
Oct. 23, 1954). [Name # 4.]
12. Local wedding venue: CITY HALL.
13. __ gin fizz: SLOE. Everything you wanted to know about
a Sloe Gin Fizz, but didn't know to ask.
21. Labels (as): PEGS.
22. Votes in favor: YEAS.
25. Tempt: ENTICE.
28. "Little Women" novelist: ALCOTT. Louisa May Alcott (Nov.
29, 1832 ~ Mar. 6, 1888) wrote a number of books, but is best known
for Little Women. The novel is a coming of age story roughly based on her own life. [Name #
5.]
29. School fundraising org.: PTA. The Parent Teacher Association makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.
32. The Chiffons' "__ So Fine": HE'S. And now a musical
interlude ...
37. Actress Henner: MARILU. Although she has a long list of
film and TV credits, Marilu Henner (b. Apr. 6, 1952) is probably best known
for her role as Elaine O'Connor Nardo in the television
sit-com Taxi. [Name # 6.]
38. Nurse: SUCKLE.
41. Sandwich meat: HAM. Not in my sandwiches.
42. Utter aloud: SAY.
43. __ oven: cast-iron cookware: DUTCH. I have one, but
rarely use it.
44. "So done with that": OVER IT.
45. Cell produced by meiosis: GAMETE. // 58-Down.
Chromosome part: GENE. Today's biology lesson. From
the National Human Genome Research Institute: "Meiosis is a type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that
reduces the number of chromosomes in gametes (the sex cells, or egg and
sperm). In humans, body (or somatic) cells are diploid, containing two sets of
chromosomes (one from each parent)."
47. Live through: ENDURE.
48. Hankers (for): YEARNS.
49. Namesake of an iconic chair: EAMES. Charles (né Charles Ormond Eames Jr.; June 17, 1907 ~ Aug. 21, 1978) and
Ray (née Ray-Bernice Bernice Alexandra Kaiser; Dec.. 15, 1912 ~ Aug. 21,
1988) Eames were a married couple known for designing industrial / office
furniture. They were known for groundbreaking contributions in the
field of architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing
and the photographic arts [Name # 7.]
52. Photocopier brand: XEROX.
53. Strongboxes: SAFES.
56. Treaty: PACT.
59. Upon: ATOP.
61. Specifying article: THE.
62. 2010 healthcare legislation initials: ACA. ACA
= Affordable Care Act.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
