Theme: Team Games - Each of the five theme entries begins with a player from a professional sports franchise.
17A. Investment return for a New York basketball player? : NET PROFIT. Brooklyn Nets of the NBA.
22A. Reception room for a Texas hockey player? : STAR CHAMBER. Dallas Stars of the NHL. The Star Chamber was a court in Tudor & Elizabethan England where cases against primarily high-powered individuals or groups would be heard, to guard against the possibility that lower courts would be fearful to convict.
37A. Sudden fear for a California soccer player? : EARTHQUAKE ALARM San Jose Earthquakes of MLS. I learned two things here - I thought the team name was the "Quakes" (it's not, but that's what's on the badge) and I'd never heard of an earthquake alarm even though I live in an area of quite lively seismic activity. The only earthquake alarm I need is the sound of the house shaking and the glasses rattling around in the cupboards.
43A. Serious lapse for a Missouri baseball player? : CARDINAL SIN. St. Louis Cardinals of MLB.
57A. Luggage for an Ohio football player? : BROWN BAGS. Cleveland Browns of the NFL. The only plural of the bunch.
Morning! Steve here with a second-David-Poole-Thursday-in-a-row puzzle. David's going to think I'm a grump, but I've got a small issue with a little inconsistency - the first part of the clues for 17A and 43A could refer to the entire answer (investment return = net profit and serious lapse = cardinal sin) - the other three only clue the second word with that initial part (e.g. reception room = chamber).
Other than that, I think this was very nicely done - the sports references came pretty easily to me, I liked that each of the major professional leagues was represented and some great longer fill - ORATORIO; ACROPHOBIA/DISCOURSES stacked either side of the central grid-spanner. Good stuff.
Across:
1. Mall entrance features : MAPS. "You Are Here"
5. Bandstand boosters : AMPS
9. Big zoo attraction : HIPPO. Someone forgot the "potamus" - this one's a short zoo attraction.
14. Bee's relative : OPIE. Oh! Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show.
15. Empty : BARE
16. Dot in the ocean : ISLET. Here's one where I've been scuba diving - Molokini crater off Maui.
19. Grind to __ : A HALT
20. "Messiah," e.g. : ORATORIO. Let's crank up the volume and rock out to some Handel
21. Gershwin title river : SWANEE
24. Capital on the Gulf of Guinea : ACCRA
28. Panama, for one : HAT
29. Bush Labor secretary Elaine : CHAO. Another name I was unfamiliar with. Good crosses bailed me out.
30. High anxiety? : ACROPHOBIA. Fun clue. The fear of heights.
39. Conversations : DISCOURSES
40. Grab (onto) : GLOM
41. Nintendo's __ Sports : WII
42. Big name in transmission repair : AAMCO. Franchise operation named for the founder, Anthony A. Martino.
50. Wine city north of Lisbon : OPORTO. From whence comes port, the aperitif and digestif. The Portuguese call the city "Porto", of course we English-speakers decided to add an "O" to it for no good reason at all.
51. Forced to leave home : UPROOTED
56. All-nighter pill : NO-DOZ. NO-CLU in my case. Thank you, crosses.
58. "The L Word" co-creator Chaiken : ILENE. More crosses to the rescue.
59. Alien-seeking agcy. : SETI. Not the UFO-seeking clue that causes the Corner conniptions. Yay!
60. Fox hit since 2002, familiarly : IDOL
61. One whispering sweet nothings : COOER. I had "WOOER" first, slowed me down a bit with the volcano thing at 43D.
62. Part of AMA: Abbr. : ASSN. American Medical Association.
63. Get smart with : SASS
Down:
1. Like early Elvis albums : MONO
2. Mimic : APER. I think this is one of my least-favorite examples of crosswordese.
3. Gyro bread : PITA. Food! I love these sandwiches. One of the best I've had is from a truck stop on the I-15 near Las Vegas - The Mad Greek in Baker, NV.
4. Equinox mo. : SEPT.
5. Scrub : ABORT
6. Group at some crime scenes : MAFIA
7. Old conviction : PRIOR
8. Spike preceder, in volleyball : SET. The setter lays the ball up for the killer shot.
9. Longfellow hero : HIAWATHA. It took weeks to learn this back in my high school days:
"On the shores of Gitche Gumee,
Of the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood Nokomis, the old woman,
Pointing with her finger westward,
O'er the water pointing westward,
To the purple clouds of sunset."
10. Trumpeter/film composer Mark : ISHAM. I think I needed every cross for all the proper names today. Never natick'ed though, so all's good. This was my last section to complete.
11. Backup strategy : PLAN B
12. Point __: southernmost point of mainland Canada : PELEE. Extends into Lake Erie.
13. Aquatic frolicker : OTTER
18. Activist Parks : ROSA
21. Cookie cutter assortment : SHAPES
23. Fail under pressure : CHOKE
24. Nailed, as an exam : ACED
25. Starbucks offering : CHAI. Flavored with cardamom and other spices. At least I assume it is - I've never had their version.
26. Train units : CARS
27. Campus recruiting gp. : R.O.T.C.
30. Marcos' successor : AQUINO. I'm not sure how I remembered this, I didn't realize I was quite so up on my presidents of the Philippines.
31. Vatican administrative body : CURIA. Dug this one out of the inner recesses too - or should that be inner apses in this context?
32. Dorm mgrs. : R.A.S
33. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : OLGA
34. Soothing ointment : BALM
35. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC. Named for the now-defunct International Race of Champions
36. Magazine insert : AMMO Often fired by ...
38. Field artillery weapon : HOWITZER. More nice fill.
42. Erelong : ANON
43. Like volcanoes : CONIC. Is the "al" in "conical" redundant, or is there a different between conic/conical?
44. Speed skater __ Anton Ohno : APOLO. He cut a pretty good ballroom rug too, he won Season 4 of Dancing with the Stars paired with Julianne Hough.
45. Cowboy contest : RODEO
46. High-tech surveillance tool : DRONE
47. Worms and flies, at times : LURES
48. Ladybug features : SPOTS
49. "The Poseidon Adventure" producer Allen : IRWIN
52. Asian sashes : OBIS
53. Triumphant cry : TADA. Welcome sound for the online crossword-solvers.
54. They may clash in Hollywood : EGOS
55. Fast PC connections : DSL'S. Digital Something-or-others. Wait - Digital Subscriber Lines
57. "Be Prepared" org. : B.S.A. Boy Scouts of America.
Here's the grid and my work here is done!
Steve
17A. Investment return for a New York basketball player? : NET PROFIT. Brooklyn Nets of the NBA.
22A. Reception room for a Texas hockey player? : STAR CHAMBER. Dallas Stars of the NHL. The Star Chamber was a court in Tudor & Elizabethan England where cases against primarily high-powered individuals or groups would be heard, to guard against the possibility that lower courts would be fearful to convict.
37A. Sudden fear for a California soccer player? : EARTHQUAKE ALARM San Jose Earthquakes of MLS. I learned two things here - I thought the team name was the "Quakes" (it's not, but that's what's on the badge) and I'd never heard of an earthquake alarm even though I live in an area of quite lively seismic activity. The only earthquake alarm I need is the sound of the house shaking and the glasses rattling around in the cupboards.
43A. Serious lapse for a Missouri baseball player? : CARDINAL SIN. St. Louis Cardinals of MLB.
57A. Luggage for an Ohio football player? : BROWN BAGS. Cleveland Browns of the NFL. The only plural of the bunch.
Morning! Steve here with a second-David-Poole-Thursday-in-a-row puzzle. David's going to think I'm a grump, but I've got a small issue with a little inconsistency - the first part of the clues for 17A and 43A could refer to the entire answer (investment return = net profit and serious lapse = cardinal sin) - the other three only clue the second word with that initial part (e.g. reception room = chamber).
Other than that, I think this was very nicely done - the sports references came pretty easily to me, I liked that each of the major professional leagues was represented and some great longer fill - ORATORIO; ACROPHOBIA/DISCOURSES stacked either side of the central grid-spanner. Good stuff.
Across:
1. Mall entrance features : MAPS. "You Are Here"
5. Bandstand boosters : AMPS
9. Big zoo attraction : HIPPO. Someone forgot the "potamus" - this one's a short zoo attraction.
14. Bee's relative : OPIE. Oh! Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show.
15. Empty : BARE
16. Dot in the ocean : ISLET. Here's one where I've been scuba diving - Molokini crater off Maui.
19. Grind to __ : A HALT
20. "Messiah," e.g. : ORATORIO. Let's crank up the volume and rock out to some Handel
21. Gershwin title river : SWANEE
24. Capital on the Gulf of Guinea : ACCRA
28. Panama, for one : HAT
29. Bush Labor secretary Elaine : CHAO. Another name I was unfamiliar with. Good crosses bailed me out.
30. High anxiety? : ACROPHOBIA. Fun clue. The fear of heights.
39. Conversations : DISCOURSES
40. Grab (onto) : GLOM
41. Nintendo's __ Sports : WII
42. Big name in transmission repair : AAMCO. Franchise operation named for the founder, Anthony A. Martino.
50. Wine city north of Lisbon : OPORTO. From whence comes port, the aperitif and digestif. The Portuguese call the city "Porto", of course we English-speakers decided to add an "O" to it for no good reason at all.
51. Forced to leave home : UPROOTED
56. All-nighter pill : NO-DOZ. NO-CLU in my case. Thank you, crosses.
58. "The L Word" co-creator Chaiken : ILENE. More crosses to the rescue.
59. Alien-seeking agcy. : SETI. Not the UFO-seeking clue that causes the Corner conniptions. Yay!
60. Fox hit since 2002, familiarly : IDOL
61. One whispering sweet nothings : COOER. I had "WOOER" first, slowed me down a bit with the volcano thing at 43D.
62. Part of AMA: Abbr. : ASSN. American Medical Association.
63. Get smart with : SASS
Down:
1. Like early Elvis albums : MONO
2. Mimic : APER. I think this is one of my least-favorite examples of crosswordese.
3. Gyro bread : PITA. Food! I love these sandwiches. One of the best I've had is from a truck stop on the I-15 near Las Vegas - The Mad Greek in Baker, NV.
4. Equinox mo. : SEPT.
5. Scrub : ABORT
6. Group at some crime scenes : MAFIA
7. Old conviction : PRIOR
8. Spike preceder, in volleyball : SET. The setter lays the ball up for the killer shot.
9. Longfellow hero : HIAWATHA. It took weeks to learn this back in my high school days:
"On the shores of Gitche Gumee,
Of the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood Nokomis, the old woman,
Pointing with her finger westward,
O'er the water pointing westward,
To the purple clouds of sunset."
10. Trumpeter/film composer Mark : ISHAM. I think I needed every cross for all the proper names today. Never natick'ed though, so all's good. This was my last section to complete.
11. Backup strategy : PLAN B
12. Point __: southernmost point of mainland Canada : PELEE. Extends into Lake Erie.
13. Aquatic frolicker : OTTER
18. Activist Parks : ROSA
21. Cookie cutter assortment : SHAPES
23. Fail under pressure : CHOKE
24. Nailed, as an exam : ACED
25. Starbucks offering : CHAI. Flavored with cardamom and other spices. At least I assume it is - I've never had their version.
26. Train units : CARS
27. Campus recruiting gp. : R.O.T.C.
30. Marcos' successor : AQUINO. I'm not sure how I remembered this, I didn't realize I was quite so up on my presidents of the Philippines.
31. Vatican administrative body : CURIA. Dug this one out of the inner recesses too - or should that be inner apses in this context?
32. Dorm mgrs. : R.A.S
33. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : OLGA
34. Soothing ointment : BALM
35. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC. Named for the now-defunct International Race of Champions
36. Magazine insert : AMMO Often fired by ...
38. Field artillery weapon : HOWITZER. More nice fill.
42. Erelong : ANON
43. Like volcanoes : CONIC. Is the "al" in "conical" redundant, or is there a different between conic/conical?
44. Speed skater __ Anton Ohno : APOLO. He cut a pretty good ballroom rug too, he won Season 4 of Dancing with the Stars paired with Julianne Hough.
45. Cowboy contest : RODEO
46. High-tech surveillance tool : DRONE
47. Worms and flies, at times : LURES
48. Ladybug features : SPOTS
49. "The Poseidon Adventure" producer Allen : IRWIN
52. Asian sashes : OBIS
53. Triumphant cry : TADA. Welcome sound for the online crossword-solvers.
54. They may clash in Hollywood : EGOS
55. Fast PC connections : DSL'S. Digital Something-or-others. Wait - Digital Subscriber Lines
57. "Be Prepared" org. : B.S.A. Boy Scouts of America.
Here's the grid and my work here is done!
Steve
