11D. Elite group of athletes : DREAM TEAM. Note: The AM sound is missing.
35D. It's "played" by finger-pointers : BLAME GAME
52D. Wee hr., and a hint to a feature common to this puzzle's four longest answers : TWO AM
Argyle here. A theme excellent in its simplicity with some sparkly fill and we're good to go.
Across:
1. Cereal dish : BOWL. Remember we get cereal from Ceres, the goddess of agricultural fertility.
5. Defame in print : LIBEL. Slander - defamation by oral utterance.
10. Brink : EDGE
14. New York City theater award : OBIE. The off-Broadway award. Tony is the on-Broadway award.
15. Dutch-speaking Caribbean island : ARUBA
16. Dianetics creator Hubbard : L. RON. Dianetics is a set of ideas and practices regarding the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body which was created by L. Ron Hubbard and is practiced by followers of Scientology and separate independent Dianeticist groups. Wikipedia
19. Heating outlet : VENT
20. Baseball official : UMP
21. Ukrainian city of one million : ODESSA
22. "Othello" conspirator : IAGO
23. Give up the single life : SAY "I DO"
25. Standard : NORM
27. Took the first step : BEGAN
30. Very happy : ELATED
33. Exxon merger partner : MOBIL
36. Pigeon's roost, often : LEDGE. But we were thinking, "statue".
38. "Evil Woman" rock gp. : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)
39. Societal problems : ILLS
40. Thyme piece : SPRIG
41. Not at all wild : TAME
42. Agcy. that regulates tobacco products : FDA. (Food and Drug Administration)
43. Apple music players : iPODs
44. Greek island : SAMOS
45. Doe or sow : FEMALE
47. Slalom competitor : SKIER
49. Utility abbr. : ELEC.
50. Enterprise engineer : SCOTTY. Officer Montgomery Scott. The exact phrase, "Beam me up, Scotty", was never actually spoken in any Star Trek television episode or film.
54. Lead-in for bytes or bucks : MEGA
56. Persistently demand : INSIST
60. Run a tab, say : OWE
61. Arabian sultanate : OMAN. 55D. Gulf States prince : EMIR
64. Rocker Hendrix : JIMI. Jimi Hendrix - Star Spangled Banner Woodstock 1969 (not for everyone) Link
119A. Oldest in a delivery line? : SENIOR TRIPLET. Senior trip.
15D. Wine bar tip containers? : GOBLETS OF MONEY. Gobs of money.
51D. Bargain mall in the Sahara? : OUTLET OF AFRICA. Out of Africa.
I
like when added LETs are not the diminutive suffixes, i.e, the new
*LET words are not rooted in the old words, so Gail's theme choices
work very well.
Across:
1. Indian in "The Big Bang Theory" : RAJ. The Simpsons Indian guy is APU.
4. Durable do : PERM
8. "That's the spot!" : AHH
11. Shape seen at some crossings : OCTAGON
18. Mil. mailroom : APO
19. First aid plant : ALOE
20. Nice friend : AMIE. I have no AMIE in Nice.
21. 1953 Biblical epic : THE ROBE. Never saw it.
25. Fuel storage unit : COAL BIN
26. Group mailing aid : E-LIST. Not a term I use.
27. User shortcuts : HOT KEYS. Keyboard shortcut. Like Ctrl + P for Print.
29. Russian city on the Oka : OREL. Never heard of the city, or the Oka River.
30. Ennui, with "the" : BLAHS
31. Political satirist Stewart : JON. Do you like John Oliver also? That's the funniest clip I've seen in a long time. You'll forgive I'm Too Sexy.
32. "Didn't mean to do that!" : OOPS
34. Faith group : SECT
37. Hollandaise ingredient : YOLK
43. __:CON: Weather Channel twister probability index : TOR. I had to google. It stands for Tornado Condition.
44. They're sometimes written by guests : OP-EDs
46. Río de la Plata country: Abbr. : URU. Uruguay.
47. Identical : SAME
48. Respond to a tort, perhaps : SUE
49. Not in time : TOO LATE
52. Class-conscious one, briefly? : PROF. Great clue.
53. Bleeping overseers : CENSORS
55. __ Dhabi : ABU
60. Searches carefully : SIFTS
61. Glassmaking ingredient : POTASH
63. Alarmed cries : EEKS
64. Court tactic : LOB. Tennis court.
65. Disease-stricken tree : ELM
66. Fly off the shelves : SELL
67. Yoga posture : ASANA
69. Dummies : DODOS. Not our sweet Dodo.
71. Caracas crackers? : LOCO. Just "crazy" in Spanish.
74. Org. concerned with CFCs : EPA
76. Sky god after whom a weekday is named : TIU. Tyr in Norse myth.
94. Co. involved in arrangements : FTD. Flower arrangements.
95. Rugged ridge : ARETE
96. Infamous 1974 bank-robbing gp. : SLA
100. Pieces of 8? : ARCS. Oh, in number 8, there are a few ARCS.
104. Sword handle : HAFT
106. Distance swimmer Diana : NYAD
107. Brit. lexicon : OED
108. Flat substitute : SPARE. Tire.
109. Pool accessory : RACK
111. Fake it, in a way : LIP SYNC
115. __ Sound : PUGET
116. "Let me repeat ..." : AS I SAID
122. Swiss tourist city : LUCERNE. Have you been here, Marti/Steve?
123. "Chocolat" actress : OLIN (Lena)
124. Parting words? : OBIT
125. Galoot : APE
126. Fit to be tied : IN A RAGE
127. Target in some sports : NET
128. Carry on : WAGE. As war.
129. TV's "Science Guy" : NYE (Bill)
Down:
1. Zoom past : RACE BY
2. Theater near Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard : APOLLO
3. Merry : JOVIAL
4. What a junker might be good for : PARTS
5. Angular shape : ELL
6. Shad output : ROE. With
grits, as we learned last week.
7. Means : METHODS
8. One way to run : AMOK
9. Addition to the staff : HIRE
10. "Psst!" : HEY YOU
11. Available without a scrip : OTC
12. Hand-waving kid's cry : CHOOSE ME
13. Rip : TEAR
14. Van Gogh inspiration : ARLES. I see his bedroom every day.
16. It's a cinch in Sapporo : OBI
17. Former Giants pitcher Robb : NEN. This often stump non-sports fans. He's in the 300 save club. Total 314 career saves.
20. Case worker: Abbr. : ATT. ADA too. We also have 35D. Place for a case : COURT
23. '60s Israeli prime minister : ESHKOL (Levi). Never heard of the guy.
24. Hit, say : SONG
28. They're often blitzed : SOTS
31. Herod's kingdom : JUDEA
33. Control group handout : PLACEBO
36. Hair piece : TRESS
38. "You __!" : BETCHA. So Minnesotan.
39. California's motto : EUREKA
40. Easy gaits : TROTS
41. Place for a link : CUFF
42. Jittery : TENSE
45. "I'd rather not" : PASS
49. Pub array : TAPS
50. English horn kin : OBOE
52. Full legislative assembly : PLENUM. New word to me. Dictionary says it's rooted in Latin "Plenus", meaning "full". Opposite of "Vacuum".
54. Nonsensical : SILLY
57. Put on again : RE-AIR
58. "The Tempest" king : ALONSO
59. Hard to crack : CODED.
Not for Snowden. I'm worried about what Russian intelligence agency
does to him. The 31-Across Right Said Fred song applies to Putin as
well.
62. French high spots : ALPES
68. One way to fly : STAND BY
69. College URL ending : DOT EDU
70. Orthodontic device : SPACER
72. Maker of the Commando rifle : COLT
73. Toddler's boo-boo : OWIE
75. Race site for more than 300 years : ASCOT
77. Sea bed? : BERTH. Another great clue.
79. Bunches : A LOT
80. Shame : ABASH
83. Artist's rental : LOFT
84. Like sea lions : EARED
87. "Matzo Balls for Breakfast" author : ALAN KING. Never hadMatzo balls. You?
90. Jump to one's feet : LEAP UP
93. Israir alternative : EL AL
95. Suffered humiliation : ATE CROW. What many of you wanted on Thursday.
98. National Inventors' Day is observed on his birthday : EDISON. Neat trivia.
99. It's prohibited : NO NO
101. Sleeve type seen in sportswear : RAGLAN. OK, can you show me a picture?
102. Spine-tingling : CREEPY
103. Parlor piece : SETTEE
105. It's a stunner : TASER
108. Ill will : SPITE
110. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" singer : CARA
112. Athlete dubbed "O Rei do Futebol" : PELE. "The King of Football".
113. Pique : SNIT
114. Taoist force : YIN
116. Poetic pugilist : ALI
117. It may be blocked by a screen : SUN
118. Bad ending? : DEE
120. Sched. uncertainty : TBA
121. Drilling equipment : RIG
Happy Birthday to Barry G, the Cal Ripken, Jr. of our blog. Barry test-solved my very first solo puzzle and has been patiently giving me solid feedback over the years. Thank you so much, Barry! Longevity noodles from your in-laws today or going out to celebrate?
Today's grid is a bit of a departure from our normal layout, and I
liked that. High block count with 12 in the corners alone, giving us a
"circular" pattern. Brad last stopped in April 26th this year with a
Home Improvement mini-theme crossing in the center; today you could say
the theme was "brought to us by the letter 'V'" - I count seven. The
first pass did not bode well, but I ended up cruising though to the end -
despite drawing a complete blank in the center with the crossing of
four proper names. Top and bottom stacks of 11-, 13- and 15 letter
spanners:
14a. Fiction involving letters : EPISTOLARY NOVEL
- written in the form of correspondence letters, newspaper clippings, diary entries; examples that I know
are "Dracula" ( Bram Stoker ) and "Carrie" from Stephen King
55a. Read lots of travelogues, say : LIVE VICARIOUSLY - I like this phrase
RAD, now~!
ACROSS:
1. Cubicle sight : SWIVEL CHAIR
12. 1961 Ben E. King hit : SPANISH HARLEM - link away
16. Hipster persona : MR. COOL
17. Fair : SO-SO
18. Frequent co-producer of U2 albums : ENO - Put it in, took it out, put it back
19. Comportment : MIEN
20. Impact sound : "BAM~!"
21. By and by : ANON - not the ANON we are all too familiar with
22. Pay stub abbr. : YTD - Year-To-Date
23. MIT Sloan degree : MBA - The "Sloan" part had me thinking along the lines of Cancer Doctor ( and part of the proper name block where I drew a blank )
25. Striking action? : ERASURE - Like this
28. Jack-in-the-pulpit family : ARUM - Name #2 in the core of WTF?
30. Entreaty : APPEAL
31. Onetime Bell Atlantic rival : GTE - DAH~! I went with MCI - that's zero % correct
34. 1995 film with the line "Alan, please, last time I played this game, it ruined my life" : JUMANJI - never saw the whole thing - IMDb
36. Not forward : SHY - that's me; I was going nautical first with "AFT"
37. 1994 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : LENNON - apart from his induction as a Beatle
39. "The Whiffenpoof Song" repetitions : BAAs - link away
40. Veterans : OLD PROS
42. Gag order? : "SHH~!" - Cute
43. Owed : DUE
46. Schmeling rival : BAER - Boxing "Maxes"
47. Wanamaker Trophy org. : PGA - Awarded to the winner of the fourth and final tournament championship; a little history here
49. Reason for an R : GORE - Movie rating
50. Gardner of film : AVA
51. Admitting a draft, perhaps : AJAR - Fresh clue for a crossword staple
53. Like some wallpaper motifs : FLORAL - Actual wallpaper, not that which can be found on one's smart phone - tho you may have a floral motif there, too
58. Altar burners : VOTIVE CANDLES - My first thought, but I was too 36a. to throw it in
59. Political matriarch who lived to 104 : ROSE KENNEDY - I was on the right wavelength, but for some reason, I wanted ETHEL, not Rose
DOWN:
1. Like some rum : SPICED - I just mentioned a "Gilligan's Island", made with spiced rum, last week
2. Got shown : WAS ON
3. Not apathetic about : INTO
4. Baroque instrument : VIOL - I always wanted to know what the difference between a Violin and a Viol was
5. Ex-pat's subj. : ESL - Again, different cluing for a crossword staple; I'm a bit 'meh' about this though
6. Capital where trains provide oxygen masks : LHASA - I knew we were looking for a high altitude city - more here
7. Hog trim : CHROME - "Hog" as in Harley Davidson motorcycles; their stock ticker is "HOG"
8. Robert of "Airplane!" : HAYS - One of my favoritest movies ever; he had a "drinking problem"
9. River through Pisa : ARNO - WAGed it
10. 1969 Peace Prize-winning agcy. : ILO - International Labour Organization
11. Proceeds : REVENUES - the noun, not the verb
12. Nautical pole : SPRIT - MAST, SPAR, YARD, GAFF and BOOM were all a letter short
13. Image on Israel's state emblem : MENORAH
14. Winged statuette : EMMY - Dah, went with EROS - Bzzzt
15. Uninhabited : LONELY
20. "John Dough and the Cherub" author, 1906 : BAUM - #3 in the crossing of obscure names
21. Well of Souls guardian, in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" : ASP - Great way to clue another crossword staple
23. Sizable : MAJOR - Not LARGE
24. 20th-century maestro __ Walter : BRUNO - Name #4
26. Indian bigwig : RAJAH
27. Imitative : APISH
29. Fairy queen who carried a "whip of cricket's bone," in Shakespeare : MAB - Only 3-letter Fairy Queen I can think of
31. Far-reaching : GLOBAL
32. City with prevalent Bauhaus architecture : TEL AVIV - Some architectural reading
33. Attempt : ENDEAVOR
35. Magellan sponsor : NASA - Magellan, the mission to Venus, ended in 1994 - not the "original" Explorer
38. "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" network : NPR
41. "In the Bedroom" Oscar nominee : SPACEK
43. Hirer of Sinatra in 1940 : DORSEY
44. Mount Narodnaya's range : URALS
45. Hard to capture : EELY
48. Adorn : GRACE
49. Pianist Glenn known for his Bach interpretations : GOULD
51. Alamo rival : AVIS
52. Balderdash : JIVE - another great set of lines from "Airplane~!"
53. Fictional rafter : FINN
- Huh - I re-read this during my write-up, and the first thought that
came to me is that one of the UPS trucks I load is labeled "FINN", and I
wondered how that ever got into a crossword....oh, never mind
54. Underground band? : LODE - Didn't fool me, I knew we were looking for "STRIA" or something of that nature
56. Maginot Line arena: abbr. : ETO - again, a detailed clue for a crossword staple
Theme: I am sorry, but it is necessary to perform an "N"ectomy on the patient.
Look what Blew in this week, marti blogging C.C., and then I get a Friday frolic with the mind of miss m with what was not a difficult extraction. Each of the four (4) theme answers has the letter "N" removed from a 4-letterword to create a new and side-splitting phrase. For me, all add a letter, take away a letter puzzles depend on the humor of the new phrases and especially the wittiness of the reveal. To transform BLOWN AWAY, a common phrase, into the evocative, BLOW 'N' AWAY, curls my puzzle solving toes. The 4 are all legitimate and fun (I like LOG DIVISION best). We have BREW for Tin and I, some Shakespeare, OSLO for our Norwegian contingent, some pretty people and Dr. Seuss. I found it it a quick solve, with oodles of 3 and 4 letter fill to speed the process. Odd that BLOW would be central to two themes this week?
17A. Transport selling wieners? : HOT DOG BUNS, (9) The thought of a hot dog bus of course led to this image
24A. Woodsman's job? : LONG DIVISION.(11) Is there a short division? The LOG/LONG gave me the theme.
41A. Ma and pa's retirement dream? : LIVING OFF THE LAND.(15) makes me think of Todd Marinovich. I wonder if many parents have this thought? Do any of you watch America's Got Talent? Some of those young people are amazing.
51A. Tabloids? : LINE PRINTERS. (11) Are they lies? You mean Beyonce is not really having an alien's baby? and the reveal
66A. Totally amazed ... or, read another way, a hint to 17-, 24-, 41- and 51-Across : BLOW N AWAY.(9)
Across:
1. Bangers side : MASH. I made my non-British version of this favorite for my son and his wife when they came by to drop off their dog last week. With the hot dog clue reference we have a mini-theme of encased meat.
5. DOL division : OSHA. I might run out of red ink, Department of Labor begot Occupational Safety and Health Administration. I know OSHA is an acronym, but does anybody say DOL?
9. Concerns : FEARS.
14. Potpourri : OLIO. A SSO to C.C.
15. Stock answers? : MOOS. marti, so witty, that was a live one.
16. First : ON TOP. Of the standings, for example.
19. Willing : READY and able? Hmm, I am getting old.
20. Author among whose pen names was Theo LeSieg : SEUSS. Cute Friday clue, though marti nit number 1, does anyone ever not say, "Dr. Seuss?
21. Not suitable : INAPT.
23. Stutz contemporary : REO. Early automobiles.
27. Church official : DEACON. A sub-priest I believe. I had so many links, Richard Deacon, Phil Silvers' brother, Queen bassist John Deacon, Deacon Jones, Wake Forest Demon Deacons.... so I left the linking to you.
31. Racer Fabi : TEO. Formula One and Indy driver. LINK.(1:10)
32. Countertenor's range : ALTO. Do not know music but this seemed easy. Do people say countertenor?
33. Sommer of "The Money Trap" : ELKE.
37. Outline : TRACE.
44. __ question : YES/NO. marti has used this before? yes? no?
45. Broadway opening : ACT I. Nice clue.
46. Buyer's boon : SALE.
47. Repeatedly, quaintly : OFT.
49. Eschews the café : EATS IN. Where you stay home and eschew your food.
57. Growing field?: Abbr. : AGRiculture.
58. "... bombs bursting __" : IN AIR. Name that tune!
59. Nahuatl speaker : AZTEC. Incan Aztec, eh.
64. Danger : PERIL.
68. Round perch : STOOL. Avoiding more breakfast test commentary.
69. 21,730-pg. references : OEDS. Oxford English Dictionaries.
70. Logan of CBS News : LARA. This is the South African newswoman attacked and raped on camera in Egypt. No links. Horrible reality.
71. Pulls in : EARNS.
72. Pub order : BREW. Not likely to get much use in a real pub, as pubs have choices.
73. Mike Tirico's network : ESPN. He is CONTROVERSIAL.
Down:
1. Scratch-resistance scale : MOHS. Mineral hardness scale. Named for a German mineralogist, not one of the Three Stooges.
2. Natural balm : ALOE. In Florida, after too much sun, it is the bomb.
3. In __: as originally placed : SITU. Made famous by TV and CSI type shows.
4. Coal scuttles : HODS. Not hard, except for Bostonians.
42. Basic : NO FRILLS. There is no truth to the rumor Spirit Airlines is selling toilet tissue by the square.
43. Bowl level : TIER.
48. London can : TIN. Another Shout out. Maybe Steve can bring us a tin of roe when he travels.
50. Slippery-eel link : AS AN. Is this a partial?
51. Backslide : LAPSE.
52. "__ Kick Out of You" : I GET A. How about some BLUE EYES (3:09)?
53. Flub : ERROR.
54. Big shot : NABOB. Are the nattering?
55. Floor worker : TILER. I wonder why there
56. Undermine : ERODE.
60. Jewelry entrepreneur Morris : ZALE. Did not know this MAN.The Z made it simple.
61. "__ the night ..." : TWAS. An Argyle SSO.
62. Tombstone lawman : EARP.
63. Primary printing color : CYAN.
65. It's always charged : ION.
No charging for me, I am going to have to pay cash as I had my pocket picked at the gas station, and my wallet and credit cards gone. You think it can't happen but it did and I had no clue. I did however pull myself together to unravel these clues and hope you are all doing well. I blame Mercury.
17-Across. Last words of the Parable of the Marriage Feast : BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.
28-Across. Nocturnal bird with a harsh cry : SCREECH OWL. Listen here.
43-Across. Dojo move : KARATE CHOP. HAI-yah!
56-Across. Add one's voice : JOIN IN THE CHORUS. Let's hear your comments!
And the reveal:
34. Radio studio feature, and what each of this puzzle's four other longest answers literally is : ECHO CHAMBER. Each answer is a container for the word ECHO. Pretty clever!
Another fun puzzle from our fearless leader. I found the fill in this one to be especially smooth for a Thursday, and almost finished in my typical Monday time. But I got hung up in the SW by entering a wrong answer at 34-Down. Oh well, that's the way the HO HO crumbles!
10. Ab __: from the start : OVO. Literally. Latin for "from the egg."
11. Alluring dockside greeting : HI SAILOR. Loved this fill!
12. Poor Yelp rating : ONE STAR. Beware of fake reviews on their site.
13. Kind of overload : SENSORY.
18. Bona __ : FIDE. Gen-you-ine.
19. Baseball's Yastrzemski : CARL. My late father's favorite Red Sox player.
24. Word accompanying a fist pump : YEAH. I hear Tiger is returning this weekend after back surgery in March.
25. Outer: Pref. : ECTO.
29. Poppin' Pink Lemonade brand : HI C.
30. Questionnaire catchall : OTHER.
31. Sit in a barrel, maybe : AGE. Because "go over Niagara Falls" wouldn't fit.
34. Dines on humble pie : EATS DIRT. I had EATS "crow" at first. Slowed down my time until I got it all sorted out.
35. 2008 Benicio del Toro title role : CHE. Guevara.
36. Co-star of Burt in "The Killers" : AVA. Lancaster (thanks, Lemony!) and Gardner in a classic 1946 film noir.
37. Data lead-in : META.
38. Author Harte : BRET.
39. Calculated flattery : SNOW JOB. More great fill!
40. Insulin, e.g. : HORMONE. "How do you make a hormone? (Tell her a bad joke!)"
43. Sharp : KEEN.
44. "Why bother?" attitude : APATHY.
45. Secretary of Labor under Bush : CHAO.
46. "Marnie" star : HEDREN. Tippie. I remember her from "The Birds."
47. Working by itself : ON AUTO. Some mornings I feel like I'm ON AUTO pilot.
48. Avoided flunking : PASSED.
50. It's hard to swallow : PRIDE. Lion:leonine.
54. Ostrich kin : RHEA. Ostrich:ratite.
57. Monarch catcher : NET. Butterfly:pierine. I always leave a few milkweed plants in my garden to attract them.
*From C.C.: Here is Marti's milkweed pod arrangement we put on the blog last year. She said:
"This is one of my favorite flower arrangements, I make at least one every year, when the milkweed pods are ripe. Doesn't it look like a bunch of parakeets sitting around a garden?"
58. Go amiss : ERR.
59. Dried fish in lutefisk : COD. Fish:piscine. This was a staple on Christmas Eve in our house.
60. Most TVs, now : HDs. High Definitions.
And that wraps it up for this week. Thanks, C.C., for all the fun!
Marti
Notes from C.C.
Happy 49th wedding anniversary to Spitzboov and his lovely wife Betty! I've never heard Al complain about anything, despite what he and Betty went through the past few years. He's always there sharing with us his knowledge on word etymology (esp German & any nautical-related terms) & fun video clips. Do you see Max regularly, Al?
US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT,
August 2012
Theme: ALL THAT BLOWS IS NOT THE WIND. [With a H/T to Bill G from comments yesterday.] The first word of each theme answer can follow the word BLOW, yielding a common, in-the-language phrase.
17 A. *Bit of formalwear : TOP HAT. To BLOW one's TOP is to get very angry. But nobody could be angered by Fred Astair showing us the entire formal outfit.
18 A. *Interrupt : HORN IN ON. This implies a forceful and unwelcome interruption or coercion -- or something a trombonist might happily do.
39 A. *Scandal management ploy : COVER UP. You can run, but you can't hide. I'm sure you can think of an example or two. Seems like somebody always BLOWs the COVER, though.
60 A. *Less intense workout after a workout : COOL DOWN. Self explanatory, I hope. After working on my feeble high register, I COOL DOWN by playing low notes. BLOWing one's COOL is similar, but perhaps less severe than BLOWing one's TOP.
11 D. *Psychologically manipulative tactics : MIND GAMES. A series of deliberate ploys planned to achieve some advantage or superior position. To BLOW one's MIND is to make a particularly strong impression.
33 D. *Snoop : NOSE ABOUT. I'm not sure this is a common phrase, but the meaning is clear enough. As for BLOWing one's NOSE - well, it's allergy season, s'nuff said.
And, of course, the unifier. 62 A. Lose when you should have won, and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues : BLOW IT. But viewed from the other side, it's a clutch come-from-behind victory. It all depends on whose ox is being gored. But why am I thinking about Joe Nathan?
Hi gang, it's JzB, your humble resident trombonist and frustrated Tigers fan, in case you haven't guessed by now. Today we have a very rich and well-executed, perfectly symmetrical theme, with horizontal and long vertical crossing entries. Did it BLOW your MIND? Let's see if I can lead the way through without BLOWing IT.
Across
1. Looking at the stars : GAZING. Astronomy perhaps. Star gazing can also imply absorption in chimerical or impractical ideas, or the quality or state of being absent-minded. How do you spend your nights?
7. Dog star's first name? : RIN. RIN Tin Tin. And I'm Sirius.
10. Singing an olde-fashioned love song? : SMIT. Derived from "smite" to strike forcefully - yet another kind of BLOW. Here, pierced by Cupid's arrow -- but --
I've heard of being SMITTEN, but not being SMIT,
There are old-fashioned love songs, but this doesn't quite fit.
So SMIT can be today's odd SMITTEN nit.
14. Saudi neighbors : OMANIS. To the East.
15. Poetic preposition : ERE. I've heard this before
16. Opera set in Egypt : AIDA. Premiered in Cairo in 1871. The story of a love triangle between AIDA, an Ethiopian Princess captured and enslaved by the Egyptians; Ramides, an Egyptian military commander torn between duty and his love for her; and Amneris, the Pharaoh's daughter, whose love for Ramides is unrequited. "In fact, a perfect opera."
20. Wear a long face : MOPE. I have granddaughters who have raised this to the level of high art.
21. Lucrative way for a handicapper's bet to pay off : TENFOLD. A long shot winning at 10-1 odds.
22. Supply with weapons, old-style : ENARM. The erstwhile arms race, as 'twere.
24. Letters for the Queen Mary : HMS. Her Majesty's Ship.
25. Numeral : DIGIT. Any number, suitable for counting on your fingers.
28. Mideast ruler : EMIR.
30. Delaware tribe : LENAPE. Also known as the Delaware tribe. Because of displacements from their native territory along the Delaware River watershed, they are now mainly located in Ontario, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma.
31. "General Hospital" extra, for short : LPN. Licensed Practical Nurse
34. Territory in dispute between Russia and Ukraine : CRIMEA. The OTHER Crimean war occurred from 1853 to 1856. Either way, a sad story.
37. FBI agent : G-MAN. Government Guy.
38. U.N. workers' rights agcy. : I. L. O. International Labor Organization.
41. Memphis-to-Nashville dir. : ENE. East North East.
42. Condé __ Publications : NAST. A mass media company headquartered in New York, and famous for its many magazines. Read all about it.
44. Like Enya's music : NEW AGE. Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin has shown up as fill so many times in puzzles I've blogged. It's refreshing to see her in a clue. As a music genre, NEW AGE is rather bland and amorphous, intended to inspire relaxation, optimism and NEW AGE spirituality, sadly characterized by a conspicuous absence of trombones. It probably will not BLOW your MIND.
45. Emulated Miss Muffet : SAT. On a tuffet. Said Miss Muffet to the Spider: "Get out of my whey!"
50. Jazz player, briefly : NBA- ER. As you can well imagine, this had me entirely down the wrong track. I hold this fill in the same high regard that I hold NFL-ER, AL-ER, and NL-ER. Which, I suppose, makes me a nitter.
51. "__ seen enough!" : I'VE. Well placed fill, IMHO.
53. Stavros superior, in '70s TV : KOJAK. Another famous show I never watched. But I still know "Who loves ya!"
57. "Star Wars" weapon : BLASTER. Which makes me wonder why the Imperial troops even bothered with their totally ineffective armor.
65. When repeated, a Kenyan rebel : MAU. The MAU MAUs revolted against British occupation in the 50's.
66. Puccini's "La __" : BOHEME. More opera. Its premier was in Turin in 1896, conducted by Arturo Tuscanini. The Bohemians were the dirty hippies of a by-gone time.
67. Times in the p.m. : AFTS. AFTernoonS. Also, I'm guessing, the best time to go to the back of a boat.
68. Suffix with Canton : -ESE. Food, language, people.
69. Quarters : ABODES. Living quarters, not fourths of things.
Down
1. "I dunno" : GOT ME.
2. "There's __ Out Tonight": 1961 hit : A MOON. When you get tired of Star GAZING, you can go MOONing.
3. Rock legend Frank : ZAPPA. Pappa of Dweezil and Moon Unit.
4. Response from the next room : IN HERE. Where are you, Pappa?
5. Singer Peeples : NIA. Virenia Gwendolyn Peeples is also an actress.
6. Clock-setting std. : G.S.T.Greenwich Sidereal Time. More astronomy.
7. Sew up again : REHEM. A HEM is a narrow cloth edge folded over and sewn
to provide a finished look and prevent unraveling. REHEMing a dress or
skit would make it shorter. Selena Gomez demonstrates.
56. Beckinsale and Chopin : KATES. Kathrin Romary Beckinsale (b. 1973) is a British actress. Katherine Chopin (nee O'Flaherty, 1850 — 1904) was an American author of short stories and novels.
58. A few : SOME. Not many.
60. Awards often co-hosted by Carrie Underwood: Abbr. : C.M.A.Country Music Awards. No link. I'm not a fan.
62. Mgr.'s degree : B.B.A.Bachelor of Business Administration.
63. Toss : LOB. A soft throw.
We made it. Nice puzzle, with some musical interludes. There were a couple of nits, but nothing to BLOW your COOL over. I had a lot of fun with this one, and hope you did, too.
[Not BLOWN] Cool regards!
JzB
Note from C.C.:
Below are 2 sweet photos of JD, Bob and their grandsons. JD, who is now in Amsterdam, said:
"This was taken on Sat.
at Cameron’s 4th birthday. Grady will soon be 5, and Truman will be 7.
Dylan was already down for the night when we took this. They are growing
up fast."
Left to Right: Cameron, JD, Grady, Bob & Truman
Here they were in 2010:
Taken on July 5, 2010.
From left to right: Grady (11 months), Truman 3 & Cameron (2 weeks)
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