Theme: 71, 72, and 73 across: What this puzzle does literally at six different intersections: MAKES ENDS MEET. The word "END" is contained within, and connected to both an across and a down answer, and the placement of all the connections are symmetrical in the grid.
20A. Fancy greens dish: ENDIVE SALAD. Also called Chicory. Grown in the dark to prevent greening, which would make it bitter.
32A. #1 tennis player for much of the '80s: IVAN LENDL.
38A. In reverse position: END FOR END.
50A. Feminist's concern: GENDER GAP.
58A. Bit of modern folklore: URBAN LEGEND. See Snopes.com whenever you hear something that always seems to happen to a friend's friend from work has a relative that heard this story was true. Except it almost never is. Not to be confused with the Darwin Awards, which almost always are true.
1D. Supplementary items: ADDENDA. Added to the END.
26D. Binge: BENDER. Ah, lots of arm curls. College was for far more than just studying.
31D. Corrects, as text: EMENDS. Latin emendare "to free from fault," from ex- "out" + mendum "fault, blemish"
49D. Hanging: PENDENT. As in a cloth banner. Might have been pending as in waiting.
Hi all, Al here.
This is certainly an interesting construction today, but hard to put clearly into words, so a picture may help. Counting the last three across reveals at the END, there are 12 answers that contribute to the theme today. There's nothing that really unifies them other than that in the END, they are merely containers. But you know what they say: the END justifies the means. Unless I counted wrong, there are 63 out of 159 lites, or roughly 40% of the puzzle is theme-related. Solving seemed more like a Tuesday level to me, but that's not to say it wasn't enjoyable.
20A. Fancy greens dish: ENDIVE SALAD. Also called Chicory. Grown in the dark to prevent greening, which would make it bitter.
32A. #1 tennis player for much of the '80s: IVAN LENDL.
38A. In reverse position: END FOR END.
50A. Feminist's concern: GENDER GAP.
58A. Bit of modern folklore: URBAN LEGEND. See Snopes.com whenever you hear something that always seems to happen to a friend's friend from work has a relative that heard this story was true. Except it almost never is. Not to be confused with the Darwin Awards, which almost always are true.
1D. Supplementary items: ADDENDA. Added to the END.
26D. Binge: BENDER. Ah, lots of arm curls. College was for far more than just studying.
31D. Corrects, as text: EMENDS. Latin emendare "to free from fault," from ex- "out" + mendum "fault, blemish"
49D. Hanging: PENDENT. As in a cloth banner. Might have been pending as in waiting.
Hi all, Al here.
This is certainly an interesting construction today, but hard to put clearly into words, so a picture may help. Counting the last three across reveals at the END, there are 12 answers that contribute to the theme today. There's nothing that really unifies them other than that in the END, they are merely containers. But you know what they say: the END justifies the means. Unless I counted wrong, there are 63 out of 159 lites, or roughly 40% of the puzzle is theme-related. Solving seemed more like a Tuesday level to me, but that's not to say it wasn't enjoyable.
ACROSS:
1. __ effort: A FOR. I have to believe that this puzzle did take a lot of effort.
5. Without restraint: AMOK. This word has origins in Malay, meaning attacking furiously. Portuguese amuco for "a frenzied Malay".
9. "__ luego": HASTA. Spanish lit. "until soon".
14. Merrill in movies: DINA. Daughter of E.F. Hutton, the founder of Wallstreet. You wouldn't think she'd need to get a job acting...
15. Microwave: NUKE.
16. "__ Smith and Jones": 1970s TV Western: ALIAS. Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, two of the most wanted outlaws in the history of the West, are popular "with everyone except the railroads and the banks", since "in all the trains and banks they robbed, they never shot anyone". They are offered an amnesty on condition that they stay out of trouble for a year and that they don't tell anyone about it. Naturally, the show was about them being coerced into doing certain tasks that were for the greater good, but would land them back in jail if they were caught.
17. List maker: DEAN. The Dean's list is one you should want to be on.
18. Swank's "Amelia" co-star: GERE. Hillary and Richard. Movie about Amelia Earhart.
19. Stealthy Easterner: NINJA.
23. Storm hdg.: NNE.
24. Out of sorts: ILL.
25. Cloud in Orion: NEBULA. Sheer artistry.
30. Spay or neuter: DE-SEX.
35. "I can help": ASK ME.
36. 2012 Ryder Cup captain Davis Love __: III. Golf.
37. News organ?: NOSE. Having a nose for news, perhaps sticking it where it doesn't belong.
42. Cross over: SPAN.
45. Be less than healthy: AIL.
46. Greek with lessons: AESOP. Fabulous.
53. __ myrtle: tree or shrub in the loosestrife family: CRAPE. Also pretty. Is that how Myrtle Beach got its name, I wonder? But purple loosestrife on the other hand, is a non-indigenous weed and will choke out a wetlands area with overgrowth, and should be pulled out and burned if found.
54. Skirmish: TUSSLE. Related to tousle, as with unruly hair.
55. Where Eth. is: AFR. Ethiopia, Africa.
57. Chess pieces: MEN. I'll bet the queen doesn't like being called that, sounds like a gender gap to me.
62. Howled: BAYED.
66. Upscale hotel chain: OMNI. New to me. I don't remember seeing any of these in any of Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan, but then .
67. Without thinking, with "by": ROTE.
68. Tequila plant: AGAVE.
69. It often involves steady losses: DIET. When you lose, you win. I'm on to these kinds of clues now.
70. Privy to: IN ON. Also related to "private", what you do in the privy stays in the privy.
DOWN:
2. He plays Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter films: FIENNES. Sans makeup for the ladies.
3. Where the teacher might casually sit: ON A DESK. Brings back fond memories of typing class in high school. For an elective class, a lot of the boys sure signed up for that one.
4. Rajah's wife: RANI.
5. Guardian, maybe: ANGEL.
6. Vegan's morning meal: MUESLI. Dates, oats, fruit, milk.
7. Cajun staple: OKRA. I think this was photoshopped...
8. Stabilizing part: KEEL.
9. "Water Music" composer: HANDEL. The clip is only 1:21 long. That's about long enough to get the idea, I think.
10. Clay, today: ALI. I remember it being a big deal back when Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali, but it would still raise eyebrows in certain circles today.
11. Offense: SIN.
12. Atlantic City casino, with "The": TAJ.
13. "__ matter of fact ...": AS A.
21. Sly female: VIXEN. She-fox. Or an 80's big hair band.
22. Musical based on a comic strip: ANNIE.
27. A quarter of cuatro: UNO. More Spanish, four / 4 = one.
28. Mormons, initially: LDS. Latter Day Saints.
29. Bar option: ALE.
33. Instrument in Schubert's "Trout Quintet": VIOLA. Someone likes classical music today, I see.
34. __ conditioning: AIR.
39. Provocative sort: DARER.
40. __ leaf: FIG. The usual image of Adam and 65D. First lady?: EVE being modest.
41. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE.
42. Certain NCO: SGT. Non-commissioned officer, sergeant.
43. Little, in Lille: PEU. un peu de Francais.
44. "Jeopardy!" ques., really: ANS. Make sure your answer is in the form of a question. Gimmicky marketing genius, apparently.
47. Identical item: SAME ONE.
48. Summer shoe style: OPEN TOE.
51. Gets by: ELUDES.
52. Gave one star, say: PANNED. Bad movie or restaurant rating.
56. Moves like a moth: FLITS.
59. Portend: BODE.
60. Exiled African tyrant: AMIN.
61. Dreadful: GRIM.
62. Bit of Lagasse lingo: BAM. Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril on the Food Network.
63. Turkish title: AGA.
64. Asian ox: YAK.
Answer Grid.
Al
