Theme: PLAYING CARDS
17A: Emotional anguish: HEARTACHE
57A: Preparatory research: SPADEWORK
11D: One of the Brady Bunch?: DIAMOND JIM
27D: 19th-hole locations: CLUBHOUSES
Sub-theme: Music
20A: Russian pianist: SCRIABIN
25A: "Goldberg Variations" composer: BACH
35A: Bluegrass instruments: BANJOS
45A: A Shore: DINAH
6D: Student's performance: RECITAL
25D: Charlie Parker's jazz: BOP
36D: Poetic piece: ODE
53D: Abie's Irish lass: ROSE ("My Wild Irish Rose" theme music).
Almost aced this puzzle if not for the crossing letter N between HAHNIUM and SCRIABIN. I have never heard of BAUXITE (8D) before, though ORE was inferable. Unnipentium was also a stranger to me, but all the letters except N were obtainable from the across clues. Not familiar with the Russian pianist SCRIABIN either.
I loved the clue for 11D: One of the Brady bunch? Very cleverly misleading. I also enjoyed seeing ROSE, DIAMOND, SHE, HEARTACHE, EVER, (AT)LAST, (G)MEN, EAT, HER(MES), and MORE(L) in the same grid.
Umm, OMEGA yesterday, HERMÈS today, CARTIER tomorrow? How much does Louis Vuitton pay you to put their DIOR brand in our puzzle so often? What's the fee for GUCCI's YSL? Should I call TIFFANY for sponsorship also? You don't like PRADA? Afraid of "The Devil Wears PRADA" backlash? How about BURBERRY then?
ACROSS:
6A: Greek letter: RHO. Or South Korea's ___ Moo-hyuan. Or maybe not. His presidency was probably too short and too scandalous to carve a niche in history. He showed some episodic guts in 2003 though.
9A: Doc on the battlefield: MEDIC
16A: Sheeplike: OVINE. Cattle: BOVINE. Horse: EQUINE. Donkey: ASSININE. Dog: CANINE. Cat: FELINE. Pig: PORCINE. What else?
19A: Gaucho's rope: REATA
21A: God of cunning: HERMES. I am not fond of HERMÈS scarf, but I do love this HERMÈS Birkin bag to go with my OMEGA watch. Do you like Birkin's Je t'aime... moi non plus? So breathtakingly erotic and sexy (Just listen to the last 20 seconds if you don't have time). Oh, the Roman equivalent for HERMES is Mercury.
22A: Decisive: CRITICAL
28A: Mud smears: DAUBS
31A: Ships' tillers: HELMS. Why "ships" rather than "ship"?
33A: Showy feathers: PLUMES
38A: __ mot (witticism): BON
39A: Item in the plus column: ASSET
42A: Hollywood's Lupino: IDA. Another TMS stalwart.
43A: 1975 Wimbledon champion: ASHE
46A: FBI personnel: G - MEN
48A: Of the household: FAMILIAL
50A: Jewelers' glasses: LOUPES
52A: Box of ill fame: PANDORA'S. I don't like this clue. Felt very forced.
58A: Clip sheep: SHEAR. Um, Clip & Cut (40D: Cut with quick strokes: SNIPPED). Still have some nagging dislike of SHEAR and SHE (57D) though.
59A: Haw's partner: HEM
60A: Joe of "GoodFellas": PESCI. Good movie. The only Ray Liotta movie that I really like. I guess his "Field of Dream" is OK too.
63A: Lock or shock: TRESS
DOWN:
4D: Improve in quality: ENRICH
5D: Patch road: RETAR
7D: Unnilpentium: HAHNIUM. Unnilpentium is Element 105 (Latin), symbol UNP. Hard one. Very interesting root here: "un" is one, "nil" is nothing (both Latin), and "pente" is five in Greek, then we have a noun suffix "ium". So, there you go, element 105, wonderful! HAHNIUM was named after Otto Hahn, Nobel Chemistry winner 1944. Called "The father of Nuclear Chemistry" according to Wikipedia. (Please note, the current Element 105 is DUBNIUM, symbol DB. Thanks for the information NYTanonimo)
8D: Bauxite, e.g.: ORE. OK, Beauxite is "a rock consisting of aluminum oxides and hydroxides with various impurities: the principal ore of aluminum". It's named after the small village Les Baux -de-Provence (S France), and "ite" is just a noun forming suffix.
9D: Mushroom choice: MOREL. Wow, this one is definitely LONG.
12D: Purpose: INTENT. The clue is OK. I just dislike "Purpose" appearances twice in the clues (see 39D).
13D: Discontinues: CEASES
18D: Puts up with: ABIDES
29D: Mass. cape: ANN. Cape ANN. Felt strained too.
34D: Top Stooge: MOE
35D: In arrears: BEHIND
41D: Deep bows: SALAAMS. From Arabic "salām", peace.
43D: Finally!: At LAST!
44D: Mollify: SOOTHE. Like this one, SOOTHE & HEARTACHE.
45D: Prosecutors, for short: DAS (District Attorneys)
46D: Stare angrily: GLOWER
48D: Phobias: FEARS. Here is a complete list of all kinds of phobias. Mine is scotophobia. I never knew that there is such special word for my fear.
49D: Skilled one: ADEPT
51D: Fuel from bogs: PEAT
55D: Schusses: SKIS. Saw Schuss before, but then I forgot. SKIS is very gettable though. Schuss comes from German word "Schuz" meaning shot. Schuss is "a fast straight downhill run in skiing. Could be a verb too.
C.C.
17A: Emotional anguish: HEARTACHE
57A: Preparatory research: SPADEWORK
11D: One of the Brady Bunch?: DIAMOND JIM
27D: 19th-hole locations: CLUBHOUSES
Sub-theme: Music
20A: Russian pianist: SCRIABIN
25A: "Goldberg Variations" composer: BACH
35A: Bluegrass instruments: BANJOS
45A: A Shore: DINAH
6D: Student's performance: RECITAL
25D: Charlie Parker's jazz: BOP
36D: Poetic piece: ODE
53D: Abie's Irish lass: ROSE ("My Wild Irish Rose" theme music).
Almost aced this puzzle if not for the crossing letter N between HAHNIUM and SCRIABIN. I have never heard of BAUXITE (8D) before, though ORE was inferable. Unnipentium was also a stranger to me, but all the letters except N were obtainable from the across clues. Not familiar with the Russian pianist SCRIABIN either.
I loved the clue for 11D: One of the Brady bunch? Very cleverly misleading. I also enjoyed seeing ROSE, DIAMOND, SHE, HEARTACHE, EVER, (AT)LAST, (G)MEN, EAT, HER(MES), and MORE(L) in the same grid.
Umm, OMEGA yesterday, HERMÈS today, CARTIER tomorrow? How much does Louis Vuitton pay you to put their DIOR brand in our puzzle so often? What's the fee for GUCCI's YSL? Should I call TIFFANY for sponsorship also? You don't like PRADA? Afraid of "The Devil Wears PRADA" backlash? How about BURBERRY then?
ACROSS:
6A: Greek letter: RHO. Or South Korea's ___ Moo-hyuan. Or maybe not. His presidency was probably too short and too scandalous to carve a niche in history. He showed some episodic guts in 2003 though.
9A: Doc on the battlefield: MEDIC
16A: Sheeplike: OVINE. Cattle: BOVINE. Horse: EQUINE. Donkey: ASSININE. Dog: CANINE. Cat: FELINE. Pig: PORCINE. What else?
19A: Gaucho's rope: REATA
21A: God of cunning: HERMES. I am not fond of HERMÈS scarf, but I do love this HERMÈS Birkin bag to go with my OMEGA watch. Do you like Birkin's Je t'aime... moi non plus? So breathtakingly erotic and sexy (Just listen to the last 20 seconds if you don't have time). Oh, the Roman equivalent for HERMES is Mercury.
22A: Decisive: CRITICAL
28A: Mud smears: DAUBS
31A: Ships' tillers: HELMS. Why "ships" rather than "ship"?
33A: Showy feathers: PLUMES
38A: __ mot (witticism): BON
39A: Item in the plus column: ASSET
42A: Hollywood's Lupino: IDA. Another TMS stalwart.
43A: 1975 Wimbledon champion: ASHE
46A: FBI personnel: G - MEN
48A: Of the household: FAMILIAL
50A: Jewelers' glasses: LOUPES
52A: Box of ill fame: PANDORA'S. I don't like this clue. Felt very forced.
58A: Clip sheep: SHEAR. Um, Clip & Cut (40D: Cut with quick strokes: SNIPPED). Still have some nagging dislike of SHEAR and SHE (57D) though.
59A: Haw's partner: HEM
60A: Joe of "GoodFellas": PESCI. Good movie. The only Ray Liotta movie that I really like. I guess his "Field of Dream" is OK too.
63A: Lock or shock: TRESS
DOWN:
4D: Improve in quality: ENRICH
5D: Patch road: RETAR
7D: Unnilpentium: HAHNIUM. Unnilpentium is Element 105 (Latin), symbol UNP. Hard one. Very interesting root here: "un" is one, "nil" is nothing (both Latin), and "pente" is five in Greek, then we have a noun suffix "ium". So, there you go, element 105, wonderful! HAHNIUM was named after Otto Hahn, Nobel Chemistry winner 1944. Called "The father of Nuclear Chemistry" according to Wikipedia. (Please note, the current Element 105 is DUBNIUM, symbol DB. Thanks for the information NYTanonimo)
8D: Bauxite, e.g.: ORE. OK, Beauxite is "a rock consisting of aluminum oxides and hydroxides with various impurities: the principal ore of aluminum". It's named after the small village Les Baux -de-Provence (S France), and "ite" is just a noun forming suffix.
9D: Mushroom choice: MOREL. Wow, this one is definitely LONG.
12D: Purpose: INTENT. The clue is OK. I just dislike "Purpose" appearances twice in the clues (see 39D).
13D: Discontinues: CEASES
18D: Puts up with: ABIDES
29D: Mass. cape: ANN. Cape ANN. Felt strained too.
34D: Top Stooge: MOE
35D: In arrears: BEHIND
41D: Deep bows: SALAAMS. From Arabic "salām", peace.
43D: Finally!: At LAST!
44D: Mollify: SOOTHE. Like this one, SOOTHE & HEARTACHE.
45D: Prosecutors, for short: DAS (District Attorneys)
46D: Stare angrily: GLOWER
48D: Phobias: FEARS. Here is a complete list of all kinds of phobias. Mine is scotophobia. I never knew that there is such special word for my fear.
49D: Skilled one: ADEPT
51D: Fuel from bogs: PEAT
55D: Schusses: SKIS. Saw Schuss before, but then I forgot. SKIS is very gettable though. Schuss comes from German word "Schuz" meaning shot. Schuss is "a fast straight downhill run in skiing. Could be a verb too.
C.C.
