Theme: HEAD (65A. Word that can precede each word in 17-, 38- and 61-Across) - All three component words in each theme entry can follow HEAD.
17A. Detectives assigned to unsolved mysteries?: COLD CASE HUNTERS. Head Cold. Headcase (a mentally unstable person). Headhunters (professional recruiters).
38A. Intermission queues?: RESTROOM LINES. Headrest. Headroom (Nautical term for "the clear space between two decks", new word to me). Headlines.
61A. Shower gifts for brie lovers?: CHEESEBOARD SETS. Headcheese is defined as "A jellied loaf or sausage made from chopped and boiled parts of the feet, head, and sometimes the tongue and heart of an animal, usually a hog". Yuck! I am glad I've never had (or heard) of it. Headboard (of bed). Headsets.
I've never seen a theme with a defining word that can precede three different words in each theme entry. Very ambitious, isn't it? Reminds me of this constructor's last "LINCOLN CENTER" puzzle. Just ingenious! Gary Steinmehl not only placed LINCOLN CENTER in the very heart of the grid, he also embedded ABE in each of the four theme answers.
Although I am not familiar with every "head" word, the resulting theme phrases all sound natural and fun to me. I also love the twisty clues for the below small words:
27A. Stable diet?: HAY. Nice play on "Staple diet".
29D. House call?: YEA. The congressional vote.
36D. Like a whip?: SMART. Idiom: smart as a whip. I was thinking of the lashing whip.
64D. Fled or bled: RAN. Good rhyme.
Across:
1. Quick kiss: PECK. I like how it crosses PACK UP (1D. Get ready to go).
5. Bond player, seven times: MOORE (Roger)
10. Confiscated auto: REPO
14. End of a fronton game?: ALAI. Literally the end of the term Jai Alai. Fronton is the Jai Alai arena. Stumped many of us last time.
15. Back list: INDEX
16. Court cry: OYEZ. And NINE (19. High Court count). The High Court (Supreme Court) has NINE justices.
21. Calls, in a way: RADIOS
22. Waste not: USE. Just could not think of a three-letter word synonym for SAVE.
23. Navig. guide: GPS
26. Quarterback Roethlisberger: BEN. With the Pittsburgh Steelers. A pretty good golfer.
30. Soak through: PERMEATE. Nice word.
33. Siesta shawl: SERAPE. It's a wrap!
35. Local groups: UNIONS
37. Start of a theory: IDEA. Ah, no wordplay on "start".
42. Hawaii's "Valley Isle": MAUI
43. Midwestern landscape: PLAINS
44. Ring setting: CIRCUS. Was thinking of the wedding ring.
47. Carrying capacities: ARMLOADS. Came to me slowly.
51. Pavement warning: SLO. Wrote down WET first.
52. Word processor setting: TAB
54. Mad Hatter's drink: TEA. "Alice in Wonderland".
55. Fjord relative: RIA. Narrow inlet. Fjord is the Norwegian long & narrow inlet.
56. Like some bio majors: PRE-MED
59. Daphne eloped with him on "Frasier": NILES (Crane). I've never seen "Frasier".
66. Crucial artery: AORTA
67. Regarding, to counsel: IN RE
69. Watch secretly: SPY ON
70. "Just a coupla __": SECS
Down:
2. Kay Thompson's impish six-year-old: ELOISE. The girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel.
3. Mobile maker: CALDER (Alexander). The sculptor who invented the mobile art.
4. William the pirate: KIDD. William the Kidd. He was hanged for piracy in 1701. New to me. Interesting crossing with KIDDO (20A. Buddy boy).
5. Hamm of soccer: MIA. Wife of Nomar Garciaparra (ex-Red Sox).
6. Switch positions: ONS. Or OFFS.
7. River forming part of Germany's eastern border: ODER. Kazie just mentioned yesterday that it flows north to the Baltic.
8. Betty Ford Center program: REHAB
9. Oozes out: EXUDES
10. Prefix with tiller: ROTO. Rototiller.
11. Sleeping aid: EYESHADE. Got a lovely pillow-like lavender-scented eyeshade for Christmas.
12. A pop: PER
13. Jigger's 11/2: Abbr.: OZS. Dictionary defines jigger as "a small whiskey glass holding 11/2 ounce".
18. Clear and convincing: COGENT
24. Poker holding: PAIR
25. Condescend: STOOP. Penned in DEIGN.
31. Partner of words: MUSIC. Shouldn't it be "Partner of lyrics"?
32. Gay leader?: ENOLA. Enola Gay, the WWII bomber. Got me.
17A. Detectives assigned to unsolved mysteries?: COLD CASE HUNTERS. Head Cold. Headcase (a mentally unstable person). Headhunters (professional recruiters).
38A. Intermission queues?: RESTROOM LINES. Headrest. Headroom (Nautical term for "the clear space between two decks", new word to me). Headlines.
61A. Shower gifts for brie lovers?: CHEESEBOARD SETS. Headcheese is defined as "A jellied loaf or sausage made from chopped and boiled parts of the feet, head, and sometimes the tongue and heart of an animal, usually a hog". Yuck! I am glad I've never had (or heard) of it. Headboard (of bed). Headsets.
I've never seen a theme with a defining word that can precede three different words in each theme entry. Very ambitious, isn't it? Reminds me of this constructor's last "LINCOLN CENTER" puzzle. Just ingenious! Gary Steinmehl not only placed LINCOLN CENTER in the very heart of the grid, he also embedded ABE in each of the four theme answers.
Although I am not familiar with every "head" word, the resulting theme phrases all sound natural and fun to me. I also love the twisty clues for the below small words:
27A. Stable diet?: HAY. Nice play on "Staple diet".
29D. House call?: YEA. The congressional vote.
36D. Like a whip?: SMART. Idiom: smart as a whip. I was thinking of the lashing whip.
64D. Fled or bled: RAN. Good rhyme.
Across:
1. Quick kiss: PECK. I like how it crosses PACK UP (1D. Get ready to go).
5. Bond player, seven times: MOORE (Roger)
10. Confiscated auto: REPO
14. End of a fronton game?: ALAI. Literally the end of the term Jai Alai. Fronton is the Jai Alai arena. Stumped many of us last time.
15. Back list: INDEX
16. Court cry: OYEZ. And NINE (19. High Court count). The High Court (Supreme Court) has NINE justices.
21. Calls, in a way: RADIOS
22. Waste not: USE. Just could not think of a three-letter word synonym for SAVE.
23. Navig. guide: GPS
26. Quarterback Roethlisberger: BEN. With the Pittsburgh Steelers. A pretty good golfer.
30. Soak through: PERMEATE. Nice word.
33. Siesta shawl: SERAPE. It's a wrap!
35. Local groups: UNIONS
37. Start of a theory: IDEA. Ah, no wordplay on "start".
42. Hawaii's "Valley Isle": MAUI
43. Midwestern landscape: PLAINS
44. Ring setting: CIRCUS. Was thinking of the wedding ring.
47. Carrying capacities: ARMLOADS. Came to me slowly.
51. Pavement warning: SLO. Wrote down WET first.
52. Word processor setting: TAB
54. Mad Hatter's drink: TEA. "Alice in Wonderland".
55. Fjord relative: RIA. Narrow inlet. Fjord is the Norwegian long & narrow inlet.
56. Like some bio majors: PRE-MED
59. Daphne eloped with him on "Frasier": NILES (Crane). I've never seen "Frasier".
66. Crucial artery: AORTA
67. Regarding, to counsel: IN RE
69. Watch secretly: SPY ON
70. "Just a coupla __": SECS
Down:
2. Kay Thompson's impish six-year-old: ELOISE. The girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel.
3. Mobile maker: CALDER (Alexander). The sculptor who invented the mobile art.
4. William the pirate: KIDD. William the Kidd. He was hanged for piracy in 1701. New to me. Interesting crossing with KIDDO (20A. Buddy boy).
5. Hamm of soccer: MIA. Wife of Nomar Garciaparra (ex-Red Sox).
6. Switch positions: ONS. Or OFFS.
7. River forming part of Germany's eastern border: ODER. Kazie just mentioned yesterday that it flows north to the Baltic.
8. Betty Ford Center program: REHAB
9. Oozes out: EXUDES
10. Prefix with tiller: ROTO. Rototiller.
11. Sleeping aid: EYESHADE. Got a lovely pillow-like lavender-scented eyeshade for Christmas.
12. A pop: PER
13. Jigger's 11/2: Abbr.: OZS. Dictionary defines jigger as "a small whiskey glass holding 11/2 ounce".
18. Clear and convincing: COGENT
24. Poker holding: PAIR
25. Condescend: STOOP. Penned in DEIGN.
31. Partner of words: MUSIC. Shouldn't it be "Partner of lyrics"?
32. Gay leader?: ENOLA. Enola Gay, the WWII bomber. Got me.
34. Unilever laundry soap brand: RINSO. I've never heard of this brand.
38. Train guide: RAIL
39. Continental: EUROPEAN
41. Away from the coast: INLAND
42. Roast hosts, for short: MCS
45. Sport __: family vehicles: UTES. We had plenty of discussions (and whining) about this fill before.
46. Equal to, with "the": SAME AS
48. Actress Dahl: ARLENE
49. No-calorie cola: DIET RC. Have never tried RC Cola.
50. Gets fresh with: SASSES. Classic right or bottom edge word. Four Ss.
53. Dizzy's jazz: BEBOP
57. Wine list heading: REDS
58. Fishing craft: DORY
60. Cow-horned goddess: ISIS. Maybe JD can tell us more about this Egyptian goddess of fertility.
61. Comic Margaret: CHO. Of Korean descent. Her stuff is often too racy for my taste. Cho is Cao in Chinese.
62. Cut off: HEW
38. Train guide: RAIL
39. Continental: EUROPEAN
41. Away from the coast: INLAND
42. Roast hosts, for short: MCS
45. Sport __: family vehicles: UTES. We had plenty of discussions (and whining) about this fill before.
46. Equal to, with "the": SAME AS
48. Actress Dahl: ARLENE
49. No-calorie cola: DIET RC. Have never tried RC Cola.
50. Gets fresh with: SASSES. Classic right or bottom edge word. Four Ss.
53. Dizzy's jazz: BEBOP
57. Wine list heading: REDS
58. Fishing craft: DORY
60. Cow-horned goddess: ISIS. Maybe JD can tell us more about this Egyptian goddess of fertility.
61. Comic Margaret: CHO. Of Korean descent. Her stuff is often too racy for my taste. Cho is Cao in Chinese.
62. Cut off: HEW
