Theme: Musical Numbers - Songs with a number in the title.
17A. Temptations number : "CLOUD NINE". Song
64A. Doris Day number : "TEA FOR TWO". Song.
9D. Josh White number : "ONE MEAT BALL". Song
24D. Tennessee Ernie Ford number : "SIXTEEN TONS". Song
Two Across theme entries with numbers in the back. Two Down entries with numbers in front.
Argyle here.
Fred Piscop is a renowned constructor but this is only the second time we have seen him. The other was a Sunday. He seems to be fond of cross-references too.
There are plenty of songs with a number in the title but if there is a particular reason he chose these four, I don't see it. Do you?
Across:
1. Letters on the Ronald Reagan : USS. Aircraft Carrier CVN-76.
4. Student of Socrates : PLATO. And 29A. 4-Across, to Aristotle : TEACHER. They're all Greeks to me.
9. Travel like Eris or Ceres : ORBIT. Eris is the largest and Ceres is the smallest of the five identified dwarf planets in ORBIT in our Solar System.
14. Zippo : NIL. Nada, zero, nothing.
15. Put to work : HIRED.
16. Source of some urban pollution : NOISE. Tricky, but not as tricky as light pollution.
19. First name in TV talk : ELLEN. Ellen DeGeneres.
20. CIA boss Panetta : LEON. The man doesn't look like a secret agent.
21. Ward, to Beaver : DAD. From the old TV show, "Leave it to Beaver". And 52A. 21-Across, slangily : OLD MAN. Theodore wouldn't call his father that but Wally might.
22. Brunch fare : OMELET.
23. Tell-all news story : EXPOSÉ.
25. Market special : SALE.
27. Guinness serving : PINT.
34. Pre-fax communication : TELEX. Variations called Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs) are still used by the hearing impaired for typed communications over ordinary telephone lines.
37. Mob hit victim, often : RAT.
39. Worthless talk : TRIPE.
40. __-garde : AVANT.
41. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer : ALI. The third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,
42. School rides : BUSES.
43. Soprano Fleming : RENÉE. At the The Obama Inaugural Celebration Concert: You ll Never Walk Alone
44. Spray graffiti on, say : MAR.
45. Stocks or bonds : ASSET.
46. Swap the old for the new : TRADE UP.
48. First name in scat : ELLA.
50. Legendary loch : NESS.
56. Having just exercised : SWEATY.
60. Returns pro : CPA.
62. Move carefully : EASE.
63. Convention nametag word : HELLO.
66. Poland Spring competitor : EVIAN. (Bottled water)
67. Carriage return, these days : ENTER. Carriage, (the moving part of a typewriter) when it returned at the end of a line, would drop down a line which is what happens when you click on ENTER.
68. Catch some rays : TAN.
69. Campus VIPs : DEANS. And 4D. Deg. for many 69-Across : PHD.
70. Tractor maker John : DEERE.
71. USNA grad : ENS..
Down:
1. "I give!" : "UNCLE!".
2. Proctor __ appliances : SILEX. Frank Wolcott, in 1919, started a company in his own name as a distributor of electric heaters and appliances, using the trade name Torrid. In 1924, he bought from H.M. Bridges, the Silex Co. of Malden, Mass., which had introduced into the U.S., the German vacuum coffee maker. So does SILEX mean something in German?
3. Single -masted ship : SLOOP.
5. Tree also known as basswood : LINDEN.
6. Andrea Bocelli delivery : ARIA. He is a multiple Classical Brit-winning and Grammy and Emmy nominated, Italian pop tenor and crossover artist. Duet with Elmo.
7. Works the bar : TENDS.
8. "To a ..." poem : ODE.
10. Thespian's résumé listing : ROLE.
11. Fin or sawbuck : BILL. Fin is slang for a five-dollar bill and sawbuck is a ten. The term, sawbuck, comes from the Roman numeral for ten, X, and X looks like a sawbuck (for cutting up wood).
12. "Now it's clear!" : "I SEE!".
13. Backpacker's shelter : TENT.
18. Still in the crate : UNOPENED.
22. Soccer shout : "¡Olé!".
26. Things to wear : ATTIRE.
28. Homeless itinerants : TRAMPS.
30. One with a cause : CRUSADER.
31. Greet the villain : "HISS!".
32. Blunted blade : ÉPÉE.
33. Remainder : REST.
34. Like sourballs : TART.
35. "Rarely, if __ ..." : EVER.
36. Lang of Smallville : LANA. From Superman's youth.
38. In the style of : À LA.
47. Slangy reversal of direction : UEY. A U-turn.
49. Work shirker : LOAFER.
51. Movie segment : SCENE.
53. Dull finish : MATTE.
54. Egypt's __ High Dam : ASWAN. The newer Aswan High Dam is located a further 7.3 kilometres upriver from the Aswan Low Dam.
55. Vegas signs : NEONS.
56. Storage building : SHED.
57. "__ Only Just Begun": Carpenters hit : WE'VE. Song
58. Director Kazan : ELIA.
59. Actor Arkin : ALAN.
61. Chopped spread : PÂTÉ.
64. Fenway Park's Williams : TED. Boston Red Sox home park.
65. It usually ends in "ite" : ORE. i.e. Bauxite, Iron Pyrite.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Yesterday's "Record needles" clue for 42A (D.O.A.) in some papers are mysterious errors. Rich Norris (LA Times Crossword Editor) said his final clue was "1988 film noir remake". How the needles dropped into your local paper is still yet to be found.
2) Al solved my Firefox browser gray links problem. Thanks, Al!
17A. Temptations number : "CLOUD NINE". Song
64A. Doris Day number : "TEA FOR TWO". Song.
9D. Josh White number : "ONE MEAT BALL". Song
24D. Tennessee Ernie Ford number : "SIXTEEN TONS". Song
Two Across theme entries with numbers in the back. Two Down entries with numbers in front.
Argyle here.
Fred Piscop is a renowned constructor but this is only the second time we have seen him. The other was a Sunday. He seems to be fond of cross-references too.
There are plenty of songs with a number in the title but if there is a particular reason he chose these four, I don't see it. Do you?
Across:
1. Letters on the Ronald Reagan : USS. Aircraft Carrier CVN-76.
4. Student of Socrates : PLATO. And 29A. 4-Across, to Aristotle : TEACHER. They're all Greeks to me.
9. Travel like Eris or Ceres : ORBIT. Eris is the largest and Ceres is the smallest of the five identified dwarf planets in ORBIT in our Solar System.
14. Zippo : NIL. Nada, zero, nothing.
15. Put to work : HIRED.
16. Source of some urban pollution : NOISE. Tricky, but not as tricky as light pollution.
19. First name in TV talk : ELLEN. Ellen DeGeneres.
20. CIA boss Panetta : LEON. The man doesn't look like a secret agent.
21. Ward, to Beaver : DAD. From the old TV show, "Leave it to Beaver". And 52A. 21-Across, slangily : OLD MAN. Theodore wouldn't call his father that but Wally might.
22. Brunch fare : OMELET.
23. Tell-all news story : EXPOSÉ.
25. Market special : SALE.
27. Guinness serving : PINT.
34. Pre-fax communication : TELEX. Variations called Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs) are still used by the hearing impaired for typed communications over ordinary telephone lines.
37. Mob hit victim, often : RAT.
39. Worthless talk : TRIPE.
40. __-garde : AVANT.
41. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer : ALI. The third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,
42. School rides : BUSES.
43. Soprano Fleming : RENÉE. At the The Obama Inaugural Celebration Concert: You ll Never Walk Alone
44. Spray graffiti on, say : MAR.
45. Stocks or bonds : ASSET.
46. Swap the old for the new : TRADE UP.
48. First name in scat : ELLA.
50. Legendary loch : NESS.
56. Having just exercised : SWEATY.
60. Returns pro : CPA.
62. Move carefully : EASE.
63. Convention nametag word : HELLO.
66. Poland Spring competitor : EVIAN. (Bottled water)
67. Carriage return, these days : ENTER. Carriage, (the moving part of a typewriter) when it returned at the end of a line, would drop down a line which is what happens when you click on ENTER.
68. Catch some rays : TAN.
69. Campus VIPs : DEANS. And 4D. Deg. for many 69-Across : PHD.
70. Tractor maker John : DEERE.
71. USNA grad : ENS..
Down:
1. "I give!" : "UNCLE!".
2. Proctor __ appliances : SILEX. Frank Wolcott, in 1919, started a company in his own name as a distributor of electric heaters and appliances, using the trade name Torrid. In 1924, he bought from H.M. Bridges, the Silex Co. of Malden, Mass., which had introduced into the U.S., the German vacuum coffee maker. So does SILEX mean something in German?
3. Single -masted ship : SLOOP.
5. Tree also known as basswood : LINDEN.
6. Andrea Bocelli delivery : ARIA. He is a multiple Classical Brit-winning and Grammy and Emmy nominated, Italian pop tenor and crossover artist. Duet with Elmo.
7. Works the bar : TENDS.
8. "To a ..." poem : ODE.
10. Thespian's résumé listing : ROLE.
11. Fin or sawbuck : BILL. Fin is slang for a five-dollar bill and sawbuck is a ten. The term, sawbuck, comes from the Roman numeral for ten, X, and X looks like a sawbuck (for cutting up wood).
12. "Now it's clear!" : "I SEE!".
13. Backpacker's shelter : TENT.
18. Still in the crate : UNOPENED.
22. Soccer shout : "¡Olé!".
26. Things to wear : ATTIRE.
28. Homeless itinerants : TRAMPS.
30. One with a cause : CRUSADER.
31. Greet the villain : "HISS!".
32. Blunted blade : ÉPÉE.
33. Remainder : REST.
34. Like sourballs : TART.
35. "Rarely, if __ ..." : EVER.
36. Lang of Smallville : LANA. From Superman's youth.
38. In the style of : À LA.
47. Slangy reversal of direction : UEY. A U-turn.
49. Work shirker : LOAFER.
51. Movie segment : SCENE.
53. Dull finish : MATTE.
54. Egypt's __ High Dam : ASWAN. The newer Aswan High Dam is located a further 7.3 kilometres upriver from the Aswan Low Dam.
55. Vegas signs : NEONS.
56. Storage building : SHED.
57. "__ Only Just Begun": Carpenters hit : WE'VE. Song
58. Director Kazan : ELIA.
59. Actor Arkin : ALAN.
61. Chopped spread : PÂTÉ.
64. Fenway Park's Williams : TED. Boston Red Sox home park.
65. It usually ends in "ite" : ORE. i.e. Bauxite, Iron Pyrite.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Yesterday's "Record needles" clue for 42A (D.O.A.) in some papers are mysterious errors. Rich Norris (LA Times Crossword Editor) said his final clue was "1988 film noir remake". How the needles dropped into your local paper is still yet to be found.
2) Al solved my Firefox browser gray links problem. Thanks, Al!
