Theme: PARTS OF SPEECH (37A: Grammar elements, or what the first three letters of 17-, 30-, 45- and 62-Across literally are) - the starting 3 letters of each theme entry are all parts of the word SPEECH.
17A: Where to hear letters recited: SPELLING BEE. Have you seen the documentary "Spellbound"? Those kids are so nerdy.
30A: Lady Godiva spotter: PEEPING TOM. Lady Godiva rode naked in the streets to protest her husband's taxation. Everybody shut their windows and stayed indoors, except PEEPING TOM. He peeped and was struck blind.
45A: "anyone lived in a pretty how town" poet? E.E. CUMMINGS. Our Melissa's favorite poet. She wrote all her comments in lowercase to pay homage to e.e. cummings.
62A: Recording studio feature: ECHO CHAMBER. For aural illusion effect.
Nice touch on the proper order of the above three-letter phrases/name. My favorite is ECHO CHAMBER. I can feel the SPE-PEE-EEC-ECH ECHO effect.
This puzzle made me feel so smart. I only had to cheat once. Several of the unknowns are easily inferable from the crosses. Hallmark of a well-constructed puzzle.
Do read Dan's interview. He talked about his thought process regarding those theme answers.
Across:
1A: Savory gelatin: ASPIC. My grandma liked to put a few drops of sesame oil & thinly sliced spring onion on top of her ASPIC.
6A: Green gems: JADES. Lots of women wear jade pendant in Canton/Hongkong, often with red string. For luck.
11A: Delivery experts, briefly: OBS (Obstetricians)
14A: Irish writer who said "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much": WILDE. I guessed. I had no idea that this line is from Oscar WILDE.
15A: All thumbs: INEPT. Can't tell how INEPT differs from INAPT/UNAPT.
19A: Pipe with a bend: ELL
20A: Sending to overtime, as a game: TYING
21A: Avoided a trial: SETTLED. And ESTOPS (45D: Legally impedes).
23A: German "Alas!": ACH. Was clued as "Bavarian beef" last Saturday.
25A: Word sung after a ball drops: AULD. "AULD Lang Syne". Sung on New Year's Eve.
27A: Prefix with sol: AERO. Aerosol.
28A: Oscar Madison, e.g.: SLOB. Oscar Madison is a character in "The Odd Couple". Evidently he is a SLOB. I got the answer from Down fills.
34A: Arena for MacArthur: KOREA. Philippines too. In fact, the whole Pacific Arena.
36A: Have in the crosshairs: AIM AT
42A: Wavy design: MOIRE. Refers to the silky fabric, correct, Kazie?
43A: Tossed course: SALAD. I love Waldorf salad: julienned honeycrisp apples/celery & toasted walnuts. Yum!
50A: "The Shining" climax setting: MAZE. Again, obtained the answer from Down fills. Have never watched "The Shining". Don't like horror movies. Loved Geoffrey Rush's "Shine".
51A: Tuber with eyes: SPUD. My brother calls it murphy.
52A: Harness the wind, in a way: SAIL. Wrote down SAVE first, thinking wind energy.
55A: Colossal: TITANIC
59A: Move with stealth: SKULK. Cool word, with two K's.
61A: __ Miss: OLE. University of Mississippi.
66A: Like nos, above zero: POS (Positive)
68A: Take a piece from?: UNARM. Did not know "piece" is a slang for firearm.
69A: Bilko's rank: Abbr.: SGT
71D: Wounds: SORES
Down:
1A: Cribside chorus: AWS. And CUTEST (47D: Most likely to elicit 1-Down).
3D: Teeming amount: PLETHORA. Nailed it.
4D: One way to sit by: IDLY. Sit IDLY by.
5D: Salsa singer Cruz: CELIA. Cuban. Known as "Queen of Salsa". Alien to me.
6D: Commercial tune: JINGLE
7D: Director Lee: ANG. The director for "Brokeback Mountain". My favorite ANG Lee movie is "Eat Drink Man Woman". Eat, drink and make love are basic human desires in Chinese saying, hence the title.
8D: Balls' belles: DEBS
9D: Olympics event with swords: EPEE. Hope golf will enter the Olympics soon.
10D: Proofer's mark: STET. "Leave in".
11D: Denver __: OMELET. We call it Western OMELET: diced ham, onions, and green bell peppers.
12D: Ravel classic: BOLERO. Featured in Bo Derek's "10". Just beautiful! Those flowers are so pretty.
18D: __ to one's neck: IN UP
22D: Wrestling partners: TAG TEAM. Learned this term a few months ago. Here is the Dictionary definition: a team of two or more wrestlers who take turns competing against one of the wrestlers on another team, with the idle teammates waiting outside the ring until one of them is tagged by their competing teammate.
24D: Hoof-on-cobblestones sound: CLOP
26D: Overwhelms with noise: DEAFENS. Deafening silence/silent scream are two oxymoron.
29D: Hamilton is its capital: BERMUDA. Guessed. Did not really know the BERMUDA capital.
31D: Sorority letters: PIS. PI is 16th letter of Greek alphabet.
32D: Troublemaker: IMP. Elf is also troublemaker.
33D: Some Scottish Parliament votes: NAES. "Some Russian Duma votes" would be NYETS.
35D: Subject for Bohr: ATOM. Niels Bohr (Danish) was awarded Nobel Physics in 1922 for his work on ATOMS. His son won Nobel Physics in 1975.
38D: __ city (computer game): SIM. No idea. Looks so complicated.
39D: "...__quit": OR I. Brings to mind Kim Jong-il's juvenile one-upmanship.
40D: Candy in a red and blue wrapper: CLARK BAR. Unknown to me. Some peanut butter crisp with a chocolate covering. Named after its creator David. L. Clark. Here is 1950's store decal.
41D: Vague: HAZY
44D: Actress Sandra: DEE. Bobby Dorin's wife. Did you like Kevin Spacey's "Beyond the Sea"?
46D: Novel postscript: EPILOG
48D: It's removed at the pump: GAS CAP
49D: Follower of Guru Nanak: SIKH. Stumped me. I did not know who Guru Nanak is. According to Wikipedia, he is the central figure in Sikhism, and is the first of the ten SIKH Gurus. How come that picture has 11 guys? SIKH is Sanskrit for "disciple". Pronounced like "seek".
53D: Maui shindigs: LUAUS. Interesting, I just found out that LUAU is literally "young taro tops", which were served at outdoor feasts. I bet POI is a popular item at those LUAUS.
56D: Untouchables leader: NESS (Eliot). Kevin Costner's "The Untouchables" is one of my favorite movies.
57D: "Law & Order: SVU" actor: ICE-T. I wonder if he knows that his damned name appears in Xword all the time.
58D: Grammy winner for "Believe": CHER. "... Do you believe in life after love..." Great song.
60D: Pre-P queue: LMNO. Alphabetically LMNOP.
63D: Luis' "Listen Up!": OYE. No idea. Spanish for "Hey!". "OYE como va" = "Hey, what's up?"
64D: Afore: ERE. Poetically.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a great photo of our fellow LAT solver Crockett and his lovely wife Jeanette, ready to tackle a Welsh breakfast. Crockett started to follow my blog in early Feb 2008, only a few weeks after I started my adventure. He also created a Crossword Corner Google Map for us. Email him if you want your name appear on the map. Crockett is a retired middle school math teacher and now does lots of volunteer work. He is also a great chess player.
C.C.
17A: Where to hear letters recited: SPELLING BEE. Have you seen the documentary "Spellbound"? Those kids are so nerdy.
30A: Lady Godiva spotter: PEEPING TOM. Lady Godiva rode naked in the streets to protest her husband's taxation. Everybody shut their windows and stayed indoors, except PEEPING TOM. He peeped and was struck blind.
45A: "anyone lived in a pretty how town" poet? E.E. CUMMINGS. Our Melissa's favorite poet. She wrote all her comments in lowercase to pay homage to e.e. cummings.
62A: Recording studio feature: ECHO CHAMBER. For aural illusion effect.
Nice touch on the proper order of the above three-letter phrases/name. My favorite is ECHO CHAMBER. I can feel the SPE-PEE-EEC-ECH ECHO effect.
This puzzle made me feel so smart. I only had to cheat once. Several of the unknowns are easily inferable from the crosses. Hallmark of a well-constructed puzzle.
Do read Dan's interview. He talked about his thought process regarding those theme answers.
Across:
1A: Savory gelatin: ASPIC. My grandma liked to put a few drops of sesame oil & thinly sliced spring onion on top of her ASPIC.
6A: Green gems: JADES. Lots of women wear jade pendant in Canton/Hongkong, often with red string. For luck.
11A: Delivery experts, briefly: OBS (Obstetricians)
14A: Irish writer who said "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much": WILDE. I guessed. I had no idea that this line is from Oscar WILDE.
15A: All thumbs: INEPT. Can't tell how INEPT differs from INAPT/UNAPT.
19A: Pipe with a bend: ELL
20A: Sending to overtime, as a game: TYING
21A: Avoided a trial: SETTLED. And ESTOPS (45D: Legally impedes).
23A: German "Alas!": ACH. Was clued as "Bavarian beef" last Saturday.
25A: Word sung after a ball drops: AULD. "AULD Lang Syne". Sung on New Year's Eve.
27A: Prefix with sol: AERO. Aerosol.
28A: Oscar Madison, e.g.: SLOB. Oscar Madison is a character in "The Odd Couple". Evidently he is a SLOB. I got the answer from Down fills.
34A: Arena for MacArthur: KOREA. Philippines too. In fact, the whole Pacific Arena.
36A: Have in the crosshairs: AIM AT
42A: Wavy design: MOIRE. Refers to the silky fabric, correct, Kazie?
43A: Tossed course: SALAD. I love Waldorf salad: julienned honeycrisp apples/celery & toasted walnuts. Yum!
50A: "The Shining" climax setting: MAZE. Again, obtained the answer from Down fills. Have never watched "The Shining". Don't like horror movies. Loved Geoffrey Rush's "Shine".
51A: Tuber with eyes: SPUD. My brother calls it murphy.
52A: Harness the wind, in a way: SAIL. Wrote down SAVE first, thinking wind energy.
55A: Colossal: TITANIC
59A: Move with stealth: SKULK. Cool word, with two K's.
61A: __ Miss: OLE. University of Mississippi.
66A: Like nos, above zero: POS (Positive)
68A: Take a piece from?: UNARM. Did not know "piece" is a slang for firearm.
69A: Bilko's rank: Abbr.: SGT
71D: Wounds: SORES
Down:
1A: Cribside chorus: AWS. And CUTEST (47D: Most likely to elicit 1-Down).
3D: Teeming amount: PLETHORA. Nailed it.
4D: One way to sit by: IDLY. Sit IDLY by.
5D: Salsa singer Cruz: CELIA. Cuban. Known as "Queen of Salsa". Alien to me.
6D: Commercial tune: JINGLE
7D: Director Lee: ANG. The director for "Brokeback Mountain". My favorite ANG Lee movie is "Eat Drink Man Woman". Eat, drink and make love are basic human desires in Chinese saying, hence the title.
8D: Balls' belles: DEBS
9D: Olympics event with swords: EPEE. Hope golf will enter the Olympics soon.
10D: Proofer's mark: STET. "Leave in".
11D: Denver __: OMELET. We call it Western OMELET: diced ham, onions, and green bell peppers.
12D: Ravel classic: BOLERO. Featured in Bo Derek's "10". Just beautiful! Those flowers are so pretty.
18D: __ to one's neck: IN UP
22D: Wrestling partners: TAG TEAM. Learned this term a few months ago. Here is the Dictionary definition: a team of two or more wrestlers who take turns competing against one of the wrestlers on another team, with the idle teammates waiting outside the ring until one of them is tagged by their competing teammate.
24D: Hoof-on-cobblestones sound: CLOP
26D: Overwhelms with noise: DEAFENS. Deafening silence/silent scream are two oxymoron.
29D: Hamilton is its capital: BERMUDA. Guessed. Did not really know the BERMUDA capital.
31D: Sorority letters: PIS. PI is 16th letter of Greek alphabet.
32D: Troublemaker: IMP. Elf is also troublemaker.
33D: Some Scottish Parliament votes: NAES. "Some Russian Duma votes" would be NYETS.
35D: Subject for Bohr: ATOM. Niels Bohr (Danish) was awarded Nobel Physics in 1922 for his work on ATOMS. His son won Nobel Physics in 1975.
38D: __ city (computer game): SIM. No idea. Looks so complicated.
39D: "...__quit": OR I. Brings to mind Kim Jong-il's juvenile one-upmanship.
40D: Candy in a red and blue wrapper: CLARK BAR. Unknown to me. Some peanut butter crisp with a chocolate covering. Named after its creator David. L. Clark. Here is 1950's store decal.
41D: Vague: HAZY
44D: Actress Sandra: DEE. Bobby Dorin's wife. Did you like Kevin Spacey's "Beyond the Sea"?
46D: Novel postscript: EPILOG
48D: It's removed at the pump: GAS CAP
49D: Follower of Guru Nanak: SIKH. Stumped me. I did not know who Guru Nanak is. According to Wikipedia, he is the central figure in Sikhism, and is the first of the ten SIKH Gurus. How come that picture has 11 guys? SIKH is Sanskrit for "disciple". Pronounced like "seek".
53D: Maui shindigs: LUAUS. Interesting, I just found out that LUAU is literally "young taro tops", which were served at outdoor feasts. I bet POI is a popular item at those LUAUS.
56D: Untouchables leader: NESS (Eliot). Kevin Costner's "The Untouchables" is one of my favorite movies.
57D: "Law & Order: SVU" actor: ICE-T. I wonder if he knows that his damned name appears in Xword all the time.
58D: Grammy winner for "Believe": CHER. "... Do you believe in life after love..." Great song.
60D: Pre-P queue: LMNO. Alphabetically LMNOP.
63D: Luis' "Listen Up!": OYE. No idea. Spanish for "Hey!". "OYE como va" = "Hey, what's up?"
64D: Afore: ERE. Poetically.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a great photo of our fellow LAT solver Crockett and his lovely wife Jeanette, ready to tackle a Welsh breakfast. Crockett started to follow my blog in early Feb 2008, only a few weeks after I started my adventure. He also created a Crossword Corner Google Map for us. Email him if you want your name appear on the map. Crockett is a retired middle school math teacher and now does lots of volunteer work. He is also a great chess player.
C.C.
