Theme: WHAT'S THAT RACKET? - The last word of each phrase is a synonym for RACKET, meaning loud noise.
17A. Consequence of the subprime mortgage fiasco: REAL ESTATE CRASH
25A. Exit spectacularly: GO OUT WITH A BANG
42A. Punished severely, with "on": LOWERED THE BOOM
55A. Complaint from one trying to concentrate, perhaps, and this puzzle's title: WHAT'S THAT RACKET?
So indulgent in the middle: SHOP, WOK, EAT, WINE, GALLO, CREPE, KEG .. then a GORGE and SPASM at the end.
melissa bee here.
Across:
1. Harpsichord relative: PIANO. A harpsichord looks a lot like a piano, but the sound comes from the strings being plucked, like a harp.
6. Doorframe part: JAMB. The upright pieces that form the sides of the door opening.
10. One of Hammett's Charleses: NORA. Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man series, featured Nick and Nora Charles.
14. Aggressive poker bet: ALL IN. Wiki's explanation.
15. Spooky-sounding lake: ERIE (sounds like "eerie")
16. Musician Clapton: ERIC. Change the world.
20. Start of something? ESS. The letter S in the word Start. Fantastic clue.
21. Accident investigation agcy.: NTSB. National Transportation Safety Board.
22. Lowly assistant: FLUNKY
23. Swindle: ROOK. Synonyms for scam or defraud.
24. Move quickly, as clouds: SCUD. "To run or skim along swiftly and easily." I can never see this word without thinking of Arthur Kent, the scud stud.
31. Get out of bed: ARISE
32. Hunan pans: WOKS. Hunan Food (very hot) is one of the major cuisines in China. From Hunan Province where Mao Ze-Dong was from. "Hunan pan" is a nice rhyming clue for singular WOK.
33. Consume: EAT
35. Cellar stock: WINE
36. Blin, in Blois: CREPE. Dessert anyone? Alliteration. Blois is a city in Central France. Blin is singular of Blini.
38. Chip's buddy: DALE. Disney chipmunks.
39. Frat party staple: KEG
40. Mindless repetition: ROTE
41. Championship: TITLE
46. Guns: REVS.
47. Word after open or seven: SEAS
48. Take big steps: STRIDE. Didn't know stride necessarily implied big.
51. Hit or miss? VERB. Favorite clue/answer, so sneaky.
52. Special __: military force: OPS. Highly trained police or military groups that conduct special operations.
58. Aqueduct feature: ARCH. Like this.
59. Lob: TOSS
60. Narrow canyon: GORGE
61. Cook in the microwave: NUKE
62. Fencer's weapon: EPEE
63. Tic, e.g.: SPASM. i've treated a few of those.
Down:
1. Peel: PARE
2. Martinique et Re'union: ILES. French island in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Nice beaches.
3. "__, poor Yorick!": Hamlet: ALAS. Kenneth Branaugh in my favorite version.
4. Zilch: NIL. Zero.
5. Musically monotonous: ONE NOTE
6. Zippy watercraft: JETSKI
7. Like about 20% of Israeli citizens today: ARAB
8. Univ. near Harvard: MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge.
9. Stud muffin photos: BEEFCAKE. His brother lived next door to my brother in Texas. Everything's bigger there.
10. Chilean poet Pablo: NERUDA. No idea. Interesting guy. Won the Nobel Prize in 1971.
11. Algerian seaport: ORAN. Rote. Yves Saint Laurent was born in ORAN.
12. Game played on a world map: RISK. Have you ever played?
13. Sore: ACHY. Starting to feel like i'm at work.
18. Store in a hold: STOW
19. Clover-shaped suit: CLUBS
23. Artful stratagem: RUSE
24. Engage in retail therapy? SHOP. Not a shopper. I prefer other therapies.
25. Stare in wonder: GAWK. Here.
26. Bay window: ORIEL
27. New Wave band __ Boingo: OINGO
28. Tammany Hall name: TWEED. William Marcy (Boss) Tweed was the political boss of the Tweed Ring and Tammany Hall.
29. "Peachy keen!": NEATO
30. Carlo Rossi winemaker: GALLO
34. Be rife (with): TEEM
36. Sports car named for a small warship: CORVETTE
37. Info in AAA TripTiks: RTES. Routes. TripTiks is a trip planning tool for AAA customers.
38. "That's mine!": DIBS
40. Saxes and oboes: REEDS
41. They usually have strings attached: TEA BAGS. Great clue.
43. Twist in pain: WRITHE
44. Scary African fly: TSETSE. Haven't seen the dreaded 'half a fly' for a while.
45. Frau's spouse: HERR. Courtesy title in German, equivalent to Sir or Lord.
48. Ugly duckling, actually: SWAN. Children's story.
49. Drive-__ window: THRU
50. Pinion partner: RACK. Common steering mechanism.
51. Still life subject: VASE. Like this.
52. Gumbo pod: OKRA
53. Things for hanging things: PEGS
54. Stern's opposite: STEM. From stem to stern.
56. Emulate Kanga: HOP. Kangaroo.
57. Radar gun aimer: COP
Answer grid.
melissa
17A. Consequence of the subprime mortgage fiasco: REAL ESTATE CRASH
25A. Exit spectacularly: GO OUT WITH A BANG
42A. Punished severely, with "on": LOWERED THE BOOM
55A. Complaint from one trying to concentrate, perhaps, and this puzzle's title: WHAT'S THAT RACKET?
So indulgent in the middle: SHOP, WOK, EAT, WINE, GALLO, CREPE, KEG .. then a GORGE and SPASM at the end.
melissa bee here.
Across:
1. Harpsichord relative: PIANO. A harpsichord looks a lot like a piano, but the sound comes from the strings being plucked, like a harp.
6. Doorframe part: JAMB. The upright pieces that form the sides of the door opening.
10. One of Hammett's Charleses: NORA. Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man series, featured Nick and Nora Charles.
14. Aggressive poker bet: ALL IN. Wiki's explanation.
15. Spooky-sounding lake: ERIE (sounds like "eerie")
16. Musician Clapton: ERIC. Change the world.
20. Start of something? ESS. The letter S in the word Start. Fantastic clue.
21. Accident investigation agcy.: NTSB. National Transportation Safety Board.
22. Lowly assistant: FLUNKY
23. Swindle: ROOK. Synonyms for scam or defraud.
24. Move quickly, as clouds: SCUD. "To run or skim along swiftly and easily." I can never see this word without thinking of Arthur Kent, the scud stud.
31. Get out of bed: ARISE
32. Hunan pans: WOKS. Hunan Food (very hot) is one of the major cuisines in China. From Hunan Province where Mao Ze-Dong was from. "Hunan pan" is a nice rhyming clue for singular WOK.
33. Consume: EAT
35. Cellar stock: WINE
36. Blin, in Blois: CREPE. Dessert anyone? Alliteration. Blois is a city in Central France. Blin is singular of Blini.
38. Chip's buddy: DALE. Disney chipmunks.
39. Frat party staple: KEG
40. Mindless repetition: ROTE
41. Championship: TITLE
46. Guns: REVS.
47. Word after open or seven: SEAS
48. Take big steps: STRIDE. Didn't know stride necessarily implied big.
51. Hit or miss? VERB. Favorite clue/answer, so sneaky.
52. Special __: military force: OPS. Highly trained police or military groups that conduct special operations.
58. Aqueduct feature: ARCH. Like this.
59. Lob: TOSS
60. Narrow canyon: GORGE
61. Cook in the microwave: NUKE
62. Fencer's weapon: EPEE
63. Tic, e.g.: SPASM. i've treated a few of those.
Down:
1. Peel: PARE
2. Martinique et Re'union: ILES. French island in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Nice beaches.
3. "__, poor Yorick!": Hamlet: ALAS. Kenneth Branaugh in my favorite version.
4. Zilch: NIL. Zero.
5. Musically monotonous: ONE NOTE
6. Zippy watercraft: JETSKI
7. Like about 20% of Israeli citizens today: ARAB
8. Univ. near Harvard: MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge.
9. Stud muffin photos: BEEFCAKE. His brother lived next door to my brother in Texas. Everything's bigger there.
10. Chilean poet Pablo: NERUDA. No idea. Interesting guy. Won the Nobel Prize in 1971.
11. Algerian seaport: ORAN. Rote. Yves Saint Laurent was born in ORAN.
12. Game played on a world map: RISK. Have you ever played?
13. Sore: ACHY. Starting to feel like i'm at work.
18. Store in a hold: STOW
19. Clover-shaped suit: CLUBS
23. Artful stratagem: RUSE
24. Engage in retail therapy? SHOP. Not a shopper. I prefer other therapies.
25. Stare in wonder: GAWK. Here.
26. Bay window: ORIEL
27. New Wave band __ Boingo: OINGO
28. Tammany Hall name: TWEED. William Marcy (Boss) Tweed was the political boss of the Tweed Ring and Tammany Hall.
29. "Peachy keen!": NEATO
30. Carlo Rossi winemaker: GALLO
34. Be rife (with): TEEM
36. Sports car named for a small warship: CORVETTE
37. Info in AAA TripTiks: RTES. Routes. TripTiks is a trip planning tool for AAA customers.
38. "That's mine!": DIBS
40. Saxes and oboes: REEDS
41. They usually have strings attached: TEA BAGS. Great clue.
43. Twist in pain: WRITHE
44. Scary African fly: TSETSE. Haven't seen the dreaded 'half a fly' for a while.
45. Frau's spouse: HERR. Courtesy title in German, equivalent to Sir or Lord.
48. Ugly duckling, actually: SWAN. Children's story.
49. Drive-__ window: THRU
50. Pinion partner: RACK. Common steering mechanism.
51. Still life subject: VASE. Like this.
52. Gumbo pod: OKRA
53. Things for hanging things: PEGS
54. Stern's opposite: STEM. From stem to stern.
56. Emulate Kanga: HOP. Kangaroo.
57. Radar gun aimer: COP
Answer grid.
melissa
