Theme: Avian Adventure
23A: Connected in an avian manner?: DOVETAILED
25A: Avian dance?: TURKEY TROT
109A: Avian con game?: PIGEON DROP
111A: Avian lawyer?: LEGAL EAGLE
30D: Avian architect?: CHRISTOPHER WREN
39D: Avian mimic?: PARROTFISH
44D: Avian tournament?: ROUND ROBIN
45D: Avian guardian?: SCARECROW
47D: Harassed avian style?: HENPECKED
Why "Avian mimic?" for 39D? I don't understand it.
Here are some more bonus "Avian" fills:
7D: Birds in barns: OWLS
13D: Birds' display areas: LEKS. It appeared on an April puzzle before. I simply forgot.
5D: Insect-eating birds: TITMICE
I am very curious to know if the above entries are the constructor's originals. The fact is that neither "Avian" nor "Birds" is really needed in the clues. The constructor/editor deprive the solvers a certain "Aha" moment by repetitively writing in "Avian" in every theme clue, how boring! I wonder why he CHICKENED out on Larry BIRD, which could be a perfect tie-in theme title. I thought of GOOSE Goosage earlier. He is now a HOFer and deserves some recognition in the crossword world too.
I dislike the following fills:
79A: Squeal to a halt: SKID
87A: Bad part of town: SKID ROW
107A: Pub potations: ALES
27A: Alternative to lager: ALE
And of course, the clue for I DO (46A: Wedding vow) should definitely be reworded due to VOW (89A: Pledge). Other crossword editors probably make this kind of mistake 2 or 3 times a year. For our "splicing device" (EDITOR), sky is the limit.
Overall, it's a good puzzle. Not exactly a SNAP (120A: Piece of cake) for me, but much easier than the previous Sunday's puzzles and more enjoyable. And the grid is very pretty and neat. I've never seen 2 theme entries running through in one line, separated by one block (23A & 25A, 109A & 111A).
Across:
6A: Bean paste: TOFU. Wrong clue. TOFU is bean curd. Bean paste is a completely different soybean product.
10A: Actress Oberon: MERLE. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says she was nominated for Oscar for her role in "The Dark Angel".
15A: Pers. with a handle?: CBER. I don't like the way "Pers." is abbreviated. In fact, CBER is a well accepted word, there is no need for clue abbreviation.
19A: Mites: ACARI. Singular is ACARUS. New to me.
28A: Wire thickness units: MILS
29A: Eyelike window: OCULUS. Like this one at the Pantheon (Rome).
32A: False report?: MISFIRE
37A: Tank toppers: TURRETS. Unknown to me. Look at this squirrel. I always thought of TURRETS as the top of some castles.
42A: Rock debris: SCREE. Another new word to me. It came from the old Norse word skriða (landslide). Here is a SCREE slope.
47A: Kingdom founded by St. Stephen: HUNGARY. Not familiar with St. Stephen. Pure guess. Here is Lang Lang's Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2.
50A: Certain grasses: REEDS. I filled in WEEDS first. Tricky clue.
56A: Addams family cousin: ITT. Learned from doing Xwords. Not familiar with this TV series.
59A: Highland tongue: ERSE. The Scottish Gaelic. Irish Gaelic is just Irish, right?
60A: Outline: CONTOUR
62A: Gather greedily: SCOOP UP. "Greedily"?
67A: Part of EKG: ELECTRO
71A: Veteran's abbr.: RET. Doesn't RET always refer to those high positioned generals?
74A: Nurse: CARE FOR. I dislike the clue due to RNS (53A: Hosp. personnel), even if N in latter is in abbreviated form.
84A: Swayed to and fro: ROCKED. I wonder who owns the original JFK's Rocking Chair now.
86A: Cay or key: ISLE. And INLET (101D: Channel opening). And AIT (113D: River island). Can also be spelled as EYOT. Strange looking word, isn't it?
92A: __ chloride (refrigerant): ETHYL. I googled this answer.
93A: Extreme poverty: PENURY
94A: Animal Planet's "___ Manor": MEERKAT. Dutch for "Lake cat", though it's not a cat. It belongs to the mongoose family. I've never heard of this animal. If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to knee (on your knees boy!).
99A: Container for a fossil fuel: COALBIN
103A: Cheap cigar: STOGY. Could also be spelled as STOGIE. I just learned this STOGY is short for Conestoga, a town in Pennsylvania.
106A: Weasel cousin: ERMINE
115A: Spartan market: AGORA. The Greek mall.
119A: Staircase support: NEWEL
Down:
6D: Linen fabric: TOILE. Hmm, too blue for my taste. That bed looks so small.
9D: One causing a downfall: UNDOER
11D:Successful mimic: EMULATOR. Knew EMULATE. Had never used EMULATOR before.
15D: Shop-at-home guide: CATALOG
17D:Berkshire college: ETON. Since 1440.
24D: Affectedly nonchalant: AIRY. Oh, has anyone read Hugo's "Les Miserables"?
33D: Feudal estate: FIEF
41D: Subside, as symptoms: LYSE. Got it from the across clues. I am not familiar with this medical term. Initially I filed in EASE. Another tricky clue.
49D: Unnamed work: OPUS. What exactly is OPUS? Why is it "unnamed"? Also, what's the difference between a orchestra and a symphony orchestra? I received no musical education when I grew up.
50D: Like Miss Congeniality: NICEST. Silly movie.
52D: Cannes water: EAU. And AGUA (107D: Spanish water).
63D: Detachable container: POD. How so? Why is it "Detachable"?
69D: Clouded by sediment: ROILY. I like the clue and the answer. I like this kind of seemingly inconsistent cluing (in terms of part of speech).
70D: Architectural projection: ORIEL. The Bay window.
82D: Dry gulch: ARROYO. Her name is ARROYO (Gloria) too, and she is the President of the Philippines.
83D: For eternity: EVERMORE. How I wanted it to be NEVERMORE! We can have one more bird related clue (The Raven).
88D: Castle cell: DUNGEON. Do you like "The Count of Monte Cristo"?
90D: Of a parent-child Freudian relationship: OEDIPAL. Oedipus complex.
100D: Horn for reveille: BUGLE
103D: Jam or pickle: SPOT. "Tough SPOT", maybe yes. But SPOT, I am not sure. I can not see any commonality between Jam/pickle & SPOT.
105D: Arch type: OGEE
110D: Bobbsey twin: NAN. Another boring clue. Have you ever had Tandoori-baked NAN before?
C.C.
23A: Connected in an avian manner?: DOVETAILED
25A: Avian dance?: TURKEY TROT
109A: Avian con game?: PIGEON DROP
111A: Avian lawyer?: LEGAL EAGLE
30D: Avian architect?: CHRISTOPHER WREN
39D: Avian mimic?: PARROTFISH
44D: Avian tournament?: ROUND ROBIN
45D: Avian guardian?: SCARECROW
47D: Harassed avian style?: HENPECKED
Why "Avian mimic?" for 39D? I don't understand it.
Here are some more bonus "Avian" fills:
7D: Birds in barns: OWLS
13D: Birds' display areas: LEKS. It appeared on an April puzzle before. I simply forgot.
5D: Insect-eating birds: TITMICE
I am very curious to know if the above entries are the constructor's originals. The fact is that neither "Avian" nor "Birds" is really needed in the clues. The constructor/editor deprive the solvers a certain "Aha" moment by repetitively writing in "Avian" in every theme clue, how boring! I wonder why he CHICKENED out on Larry BIRD, which could be a perfect tie-in theme title. I thought of GOOSE Goosage earlier. He is now a HOFer and deserves some recognition in the crossword world too.
I dislike the following fills:
79A: Squeal to a halt: SKID
87A: Bad part of town: SKID ROW
107A: Pub potations: ALES
27A: Alternative to lager: ALE
And of course, the clue for I DO (46A: Wedding vow) should definitely be reworded due to VOW (89A: Pledge). Other crossword editors probably make this kind of mistake 2 or 3 times a year. For our "splicing device" (EDITOR), sky is the limit.
Overall, it's a good puzzle. Not exactly a SNAP (120A: Piece of cake) for me, but much easier than the previous Sunday's puzzles and more enjoyable. And the grid is very pretty and neat. I've never seen 2 theme entries running through in one line, separated by one block (23A & 25A, 109A & 111A).
Across:
6A: Bean paste: TOFU. Wrong clue. TOFU is bean curd. Bean paste is a completely different soybean product.
10A: Actress Oberon: MERLE. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says she was nominated for Oscar for her role in "The Dark Angel".
15A: Pers. with a handle?: CBER. I don't like the way "Pers." is abbreviated. In fact, CBER is a well accepted word, there is no need for clue abbreviation.
19A: Mites: ACARI. Singular is ACARUS. New to me.
28A: Wire thickness units: MILS
29A: Eyelike window: OCULUS. Like this one at the Pantheon (Rome).
32A: False report?: MISFIRE
37A: Tank toppers: TURRETS. Unknown to me. Look at this squirrel. I always thought of TURRETS as the top of some castles.
42A: Rock debris: SCREE. Another new word to me. It came from the old Norse word skriða (landslide). Here is a SCREE slope.
47A: Kingdom founded by St. Stephen: HUNGARY. Not familiar with St. Stephen. Pure guess. Here is Lang Lang's Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2.
50A: Certain grasses: REEDS. I filled in WEEDS first. Tricky clue.
56A: Addams family cousin: ITT. Learned from doing Xwords. Not familiar with this TV series.
59A: Highland tongue: ERSE. The Scottish Gaelic. Irish Gaelic is just Irish, right?
60A: Outline: CONTOUR
62A: Gather greedily: SCOOP UP. "Greedily"?
67A: Part of EKG: ELECTRO
71A: Veteran's abbr.: RET. Doesn't RET always refer to those high positioned generals?
74A: Nurse: CARE FOR. I dislike the clue due to RNS (53A: Hosp. personnel), even if N in latter is in abbreviated form.
84A: Swayed to and fro: ROCKED. I wonder who owns the original JFK's Rocking Chair now.
86A: Cay or key: ISLE. And INLET (101D: Channel opening). And AIT (113D: River island). Can also be spelled as EYOT. Strange looking word, isn't it?
92A: __ chloride (refrigerant): ETHYL. I googled this answer.
93A: Extreme poverty: PENURY
94A: Animal Planet's "___ Manor": MEERKAT. Dutch for "Lake cat", though it's not a cat. It belongs to the mongoose family. I've never heard of this animal. If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to knee (on your knees boy!).
99A: Container for a fossil fuel: COALBIN
103A: Cheap cigar: STOGY. Could also be spelled as STOGIE. I just learned this STOGY is short for Conestoga, a town in Pennsylvania.
106A: Weasel cousin: ERMINE
115A: Spartan market: AGORA. The Greek mall.
119A: Staircase support: NEWEL
Down:
6D: Linen fabric: TOILE. Hmm, too blue for my taste. That bed looks so small.
9D: One causing a downfall: UNDOER
11D:Successful mimic: EMULATOR. Knew EMULATE. Had never used EMULATOR before.
15D: Shop-at-home guide: CATALOG
17D:Berkshire college: ETON. Since 1440.
24D: Affectedly nonchalant: AIRY. Oh, has anyone read Hugo's "Les Miserables"?
33D: Feudal estate: FIEF
41D: Subside, as symptoms: LYSE. Got it from the across clues. I am not familiar with this medical term. Initially I filed in EASE. Another tricky clue.
49D: Unnamed work: OPUS. What exactly is OPUS? Why is it "unnamed"? Also, what's the difference between a orchestra and a symphony orchestra? I received no musical education when I grew up.
50D: Like Miss Congeniality: NICEST. Silly movie.
52D: Cannes water: EAU. And AGUA (107D: Spanish water).
63D: Detachable container: POD. How so? Why is it "Detachable"?
69D: Clouded by sediment: ROILY. I like the clue and the answer. I like this kind of seemingly inconsistent cluing (in terms of part of speech).
70D: Architectural projection: ORIEL. The Bay window.
82D: Dry gulch: ARROYO. Her name is ARROYO (Gloria) too, and she is the President of the Philippines.
83D: For eternity: EVERMORE. How I wanted it to be NEVERMORE! We can have one more bird related clue (The Raven).
88D: Castle cell: DUNGEON. Do you like "The Count of Monte Cristo"?
90D: Of a parent-child Freudian relationship: OEDIPAL. Oedipus complex.
100D: Horn for reveille: BUGLE
103D: Jam or pickle: SPOT. "Tough SPOT", maybe yes. But SPOT, I am not sure. I can not see any commonality between Jam/pickle & SPOT.
105D: Arch type: OGEE
110D: Bobbsey twin: NAN. Another boring clue. Have you ever had Tandoori-baked NAN before?
C.C.
