Theme: Pants! — The first word of each theme answer describes a type of pants.Theme answers:
- 17A: *Hilarious joke (KNEE SLAPPER).
- 39A: *Worry, slangily (SWEAT IT).
- 63A: *Frosted Lenten pastry (HOTCROSS BUN).
- 11D: *Enduring, as a storm (RIDING OUT).
- 34D: *Freight-bearing vessel (CARGO SHIP).
- 57D: Garment that can follow the starts of the answers to starred clues (PANTS).
Walked down the bus stop with the kids, waved as the bus rolled away, gave a whoop and a holler, walked back up the hill, all the while completely forgetting that I was supposed to blog today. Sorry about that, guys! This will be short!Does anyone remember a comedian back in the early 90s whose schtick involved saying "Put your short pants on! Why don't you put your short pants on!" in a high, whiny voice (supposed to be imitating his mother)? I can't remember anything else about the guy except this one thing. Searching YouTube for "short pants" ... doesn't bring up anything related to this comedian.
Bullets:
- 22A: Bat one's eyelashes, perhaps (FLIRT). Do people still do this? I just spend several minutes looking for a picture of the girls with the writing on their eyelids from the Indiana Jones movie. Couldn't find one.
- 42A: Mex. neighbor (USA). Wrote in TEX at first.
- 62A: Jr. high, e.g. (SCH.). This is an ugly abbreviation, but the puzzle is otherwise very smooth, so I'm gonna let it go. Especially since it's the first day of school.
- 70A: Sources of blue eyes, say (GENES). PuzzleSon is totally into the whole genetic thing right now. He's constantly like, "I love peanut butter. Mom, do you love peanut butter? Did I get that from you?" (Answer: Yes.)
- 8D: Party headgear (PAPER HAT). I must be going to the wrong parties.
- 29D: "That'll do, thanks" ("I'M SET"). Could only think "I'm good" and "I'm OK," so had to wait for crosses.
- 40D: Street urchin (WAIF). WAIF is a great word.
- 49D: Round number? (ZERO). Cute clue!
- 50D: Outlaw-chasing group (POSSE). Just spent about five minutes looking for a clip of Ellen DeGeneres on Letterman several years ago when she said something really funny about the word posse. Can't find it.
- 56D: Get extra value from (REUSE). Okay, I just spent at least ten minutes looking for a decent, embeddable video of Jack Johnson's "3 R's" and couldn't find one. I'm totally striking out today. I'll at least give you a link and then I'm going to give up for today.
Everything Else — 1A: Unshiny photo finish (MATTE); 6A: Tree with quaking leaves (ASPEN); 11A: Usually nonmelodic music genre (RAP); 14A: Not moving (INERT); 15A: Work on a loom (WEAVE); 16A: Under the weather (ILL); 19A: Narc's org. (DEA); 20A: Ages and ages (EONS); 21A: Depression era migrant (OKIE); 24A: Method: Abbr. (SYST.); 25A: Lincoln wore one (BEARD); 27A: Pay for a hand (ANTE); 28A: Bank encumbrance (LIEN); 30A: Sound heard twice in "gargantuan" (HARD G); 32A: Command to an attack dog (SIC 'EM); 35A: Dressing for romaine and such (SALAD OIL); 38A: Palm Pilot or BlackBerry, briefly (PDA); 43A: Hardly geniuses (AIRHEADS); 45A: Contest submission (ENTRY); 47A: Arrived (GOT IN); 48A: Poet Pound (EZRA); 50A: Old hands (PROS); 52A: Coerce (FORCE); 54A: Infield protector (TARP); 58A: Retreats in the desert (OASES); 60A: Bring up (REAR); 61A: Field of expertise (AREA); 66A: Maneuver among moguls (SKI); 67A: One way to read (ALOUD); 68A: White-sheet wearer, on Halloween (GHOST); 69A: Sixth sense, for short (ESP); 71A: Shipping weight deductions (TARES); 1D: Studio sound equipment (MIKES); 2D: Be a thorn in the side of (ANNOY); 3D: Prom goers (TEENS); 4D: Railroad bridge support (TRESTLE); 5D: UFO crew, presumably (ETS); 6D: Greet the morning (AWAKEN); 7D: Brownish photo tint (SEPIA); 9D: Genesis outcast (EVE); 10D: Spongy ball brand (NERF); 12D: Tip off (ALERT); 13D: One in a buffet stack (PLATE); 18D: Ear part (LOBE); 23D: "Shane" star Alan (LADD); 26D: Surrealist Salvador (DALI); 31D: Movie critic, at times (RATER); 32D: Restful resort (SPA); 33D: Deposed despot Amin (IDI); 35D: Stockholm-bound carrier (SAS); 36D: Jerusalem is its cap. (ISR.); 37D: Set (down) (LAY); 41D: Ralph Kramden's pal (ED NORTON); 44D: Sprinkler attachment (HOSE); 46D: Boris's partner in toon espionage (NATASHA); 48D: Online birthday greetings, e.g. (E-CARDS); 51D: Poolroom triangles (RACKS); 53D: Prompt again (RECUE); 55D: Vine-covered recess (ARBOR); 59D: Thick carpet (SHAG); 64D: Bullfight shout (OLÉ); 65D: Rank above cpl. (SGT.).
10 comments:
With KNEE-- and RIDING-- and with GHOSTS in I thought it would be boots, but then HOT-- showed up and it had to be PANTS. SICEM, HARDG and ZERO were favorites but the best was the picture of Paul Newman and his terrific GENES!
I hate to admit it but I filled in 57 down and put in PANTY(I had PANT). Two things went through my head, wow LAT way to push the envelope and secondly, what is a RIDING PANTY? HOT PANTY I could understand..
I liked this theme and all the theme answers, especially KNEESLAPPER! The puzzle went down very smoothly, though I had one problem at 46D -- due to a poor quality print job from my printer. I thought the clue read "Boris's partner in loon espionage" ... what is loon espionage? As NASTASHA became visible from the crosses, I took another look and realized it was toon. D'oh.
It was fun to see AIRHEADS and SICEM show up and I liked the clues for SKI (manuever among moguls) and PRO (old hands).
I agree with @PARSAN re Paul Newman's baby blues - and the other guy pictured just below him is not hard on the eyes either....
Nice work, Ms. Grabowski!
Nice quick Tuesday. Love the word TARES, which I learned from reading meat packages while standing in long grocery check-out lines. This morning's SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS (where I get my LATimes Crossword) ran a crossword-themed comic strip today: Bob Thaves' FRANK AND ERNEST, which shows the two name characters against a crossword grid. One is asking the other "What's a twelve-letter term for an outfit with only one button?". The other answers "Birthday suit"! Best wishes to everyone who is back-to-school today.
OK for Tuesday...LIEN (had LOAN at first) threw me a small loop, and the theme wasn't too inspiring to me.
But hey, I'm impressed that puzzlemeisters come up with these things at all!
I really don't see SCH used as an abbrev. for school, and seems to me that while SYST *may* be an abbreviation for system, it's only used that way if it's the name of some institution or title (i.e. capitalized), not when it's just a common noun synonym for "method".
My 2 cents.
I come down on side of first four posters-very pleasant, enjoyable Tuesday, nicely-themed; able to do it together w my oldest son, so memorable on that score alone. My late boy's favorite expression was "I'm good" so I very much wanted that but IMSET is fine. Liked: POSSE, MATTE, TRESTLE, NATASHA, EDNORTON -Bullwinkle and The Honeymooners being two of my faves; thank you Gail Grabowski!
I thought today's puzzle was a good Tuesday puzzle. No problem here!
@PG - I think I remember that you like chocolate. Today you say you like peanut butter. Well - I have just the recipe for you. Go to the Betty Crocker website and search their recipes for Peanut Butter & Chocolate Brownies. It uses Reese's mini peanut butter cups chopped up and baked in the dough as well as putting individual minis on top after they are baked and pushing them into the brownies while they are still hot so they get all melty. Not on my diet, but they sure look good!
@PG Sorry I didn't call the brownies by their right name - here's the web page http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/chocolate-stuffed-peanut-butter-brownies
Would be a great after school brownie for your kiddies!
OMG @Carol - Are you trying to kill us all? You know we are all going to go download that recipe and stuff ourselves silly now. Yummo, and shame on you! lol
@carol - I made those brownies the other day. yummmmy
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