Theme answers:
- 20A: Daydreaming (LOST IN THOUGHT).
- 36A: Failing to grasp a key element (MISSING THE POINT).
- 52A: Not expected back at work until tomorrow (GONE FOR THE DAY).
Nice, simple theme for this lovely Monday morning. Looks like we're just going to ease on into the week, which is fine by me. I finished this puzzle in 3:15 which means there was really no resistance anywhere. I can never remember of the ARTHRO- part of ARTHROscopic (12D: Prefix with -scopic) ends in an O or an A, so I just left that square blank until I came back around to it with the cross. Same with 63A: Mauna LOA. As always, it could very well have been KEA, so I just left that one alone and it filled itself in later.Misc.:
- 18A: On the __: broken (FRITZ). My dad had an uncle named FRITZ. I think that's an awesome name.
- 26A: Funny Costello (LOU). Elvis Costello is pretty funny too, isn't he? No? Okay.
- 43A: What ballerinas dance on (TIPTOE). There's something just a little off about this clue for me. When people are described as walking on tiptoe, they're not actually walking on the tips of their toes. But when ballerinas dance, they really are. Or maybe they're not because of the blocks in the toes of their shoes. I don't know. It just seems a little fuzzy.
- 1D: Trade name abbr. (DBA). Doing Business As.
- 11D: Store to "fall into," in old ads (THE GAP). I have no memory of this slogan. I guess I wasn't paying attention to The Gap in the early 80s.
- 13D: "Scram!" ("BEAT IT!"). Oh sure, why not?
- 45D: Letter-writing friend (PENPAL). Do they still have those?
Crosswordese 101: Syngman RHEE was 35D: South Korea's first president. He served in that position from 1948 until his resignation in 1960. As far as crossword puzzles are concerned, that's all you need to know about him!Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:
- 19A: Approx. landing hr. (ETA).
- 42A: IRS agent (T-MAN).
- 49A: Utah city near Provo (OREM).
- 63A: Mauna __ (LOA).
- 62D: Prior to (ERE).
Everything Else — 1A: Persian Gulf emirate (DUBAI); 6A: Aptly named novelist (READE); 11A: Check for drinks (TAB); 14A: Rocket scientist Wernher von __ (BRAUN); 15A: Use for dinner, as dishes (EAT ON); 16A: Realm from 800-1806: Abbr. (HRE); 17A: Jazzy O'Day (ANITA); 23A: More intimate (CLOSER); 25A: __-mutuel: type of betting (PARI); 27A: Abel's slayer (CAIN); 30A: Tsar or emperor (DESPOT); 32A: It follows the overture (ACT I); 34A: Pressed for time (IN A RUSH); 41A: Conceived of (IDEATED); 46A: Slangy agreement (YEAH); 48A: HVAC measure (BTU); 50A: Uproar (TUMULT); 58A: Econ. yardstick (GNP); 59A: Nebraska city (OMAHA); 60A: Tee shot (DRIVE); 64A: Lees competitor (LEVIS); 65A: Ocean ship (LINER); 66A: Bigger picture: Abbr. (ENL.); 67A: Kosher deli offering (KNISH); 68A: Sharp-eyed bird (EAGLE); 2D: Caterer's vessel (URN); 3D: Controversial financial rescues (BAILOUTS); 4D: Cars (AUTOS); 5D: "Be right there!" ("IN A SEC!"); 6D: Get a better int. rate, probably (REFI); 7D: Make on the job (EARN); 8D: Working busily (AT IT); 9D: "The lady __ protest too much": "Hamlet" (DOTH); 10D: Automaker Ferrari (ENZO); 21D: New employee (TRAINEE); 22D: End result (UPSHOT); 23D: Littleneck, e.g. (CLAM); 24D: Centers of activity (LOCI); 28D: Actress Swenson (INGA); 29D: Smartly dressed (NATTY); 30D: Obstetrician's calculation (DUE DATE); 31D: Psychic's asset, for short (ESP); 33D: "Surely I'm not the only one?!" ("IS IT ME?!"); 37D: Altar promise (I DO); 38D: "Drinks are on yours truly" ("I'M BUYING"); 39D: MLB league (NATL.); 40D: Letter-shaped fastener (T-NUT); 43D: Flip back and forth, as an on-off switch (TOGGLE); 44D: Like some denim patches (IRON-ON); 47D: Circular gridiron gathering (HUDDLE); 51D: "West Side Story" heroine (MARIA); 53D: Music genre that experienced a '50s-'60s revival (FOLK); 54D: Sign of the future (OMEN); 55D: Sitarist Shankar (RAVI); 56D: That's partner (THIS); 57D: Corned beef dish (HASH); 61D: Commercial prefix with -cro (VEL-).
21 comments:
I agree on 43a--I had pointe.
I don't know maybe it is too early on a Monday or I am not thinking hard enough this morning but this one seemed tougher then most Monday puzzles. I think it was all the mulit-word answers but maybe it was just me - on to Tuesday
Ahhh, Samantha Wine, What's in a Name,
a pseudonym of Rich Norris.
Theme was thin but the puzzle had some good stuff. DOTH and NATTY are words that need a resurgence.
Liked the OB's calculation, DUE DATE. Also BAILOUTS, TOGGLE and HUDDLE. READE had a clever clue.
TAB & I'M BUYING, things I am familiar with.
Didn't like both AT IT and BEAT IT in the grid.
I had Park crosses okAy before RHEE crosses YEAH. Apparently, Park/Pak was 3rd.
Didn't know INGA Swenson, NATL or DBA.
My paternal g'pa was FRITZ. His wife was Emma Ritzius and I often thought how funny it would be if the man took the woman's last name. There was a cartoon character FRITZi RITZ, Nancy's aunt.
INASEC and INARUSH are a bit too similar IMO.
@Sfingi
Thanks, I forgot to mention the INASEC & INARUSH being too similar.
With the "IT" clues they show what happens when the constructor is also the editor.
Also forgot to mention, all-in-all this was a FUN Monday offering.
["Drinks are on yours truly"], [Not expected back at work until tomorrow], ["Surely I'm not the only one?!"], and [Automaker Ferrari] right by AUTOS make me think this could have used an editor.
Ahhh! Now this is a puzzle after my own heart. A fine Monday puzzle. Thanks, Rich (er, Ms. Wine).
Lots of cool words and a simple, but nicely playable theme. Great cluing too.
A nice relief from yesterday's bomb.
Solved online in 4:22, which is pretty good for my slow gray-matter.
I know I shouldn't say this, but I actually like those short phrases like:
IN A SEC, IN A RUSH, BEAT IT, etc.
The only things I disliked:
I too thought ballerinas dance en POINTE and not on TIPTOE.
T-MAN is sexist.
@PG & @Sfingi, I think everyone has a relative named FRITZ. Of course, I always think of FRITZ the Cat.
And yes @PG, some people, like myself, have quite a few PENPALS.
Email makes it so conducive to stay in touch with nice people that you meet, especially when travelling... and the postage is free! Also, I can mail easily while on the road. Have you noticed that the old USPS red-white-and-blue street mailboxes are getting quite scarce?
I'm IN A RUSH... gotta hit the road again. It's a long DRIVE. I need to BEAT IT! GONE FOR THE DAY!
(hey, isn't this sort of a mini-theme?)
Y'all have a nice one today!
As a new crossworder (correct term?), today's puzzle was a refreshing respite from the always brutal (for me) weekend offerings. The early-week puzzles create the illusion that I'm better than I really am.
And I hate seeing OREM so close to OMAHA. Just kidding.
I do agree that quality control in (for?) puzzle/s can only make it/them better. This puzzle was aok with me without it, though.
@Tinbeni - nice catch on the anagram!!
I often wonder how Rich Norris decides whether he's going to be Samantha Wine, Lila Cherry or one of his other pseudonyms. THE GAP is a totally different store now than it was when "Fall into THE GAP" was their jingle. They sold LEVIS almost exclusively back then. They went private label in the 1970s. The first Gap store was in San Francisco which is also home to the LEVIS (Levi Strauss) corporate Headquarters. Hand up for Pointe before TIPTOE.
Nice, fun Monday puzzle. I'm IN A RUSH to get to yoga class.
As usual, I got fooled by ACTI but just for a moment. A couple of bumps caused by spelling uncertainties: PARA? PARI? PERI? - mutuel...INGA or INGE. Interesting to see BAILOUTS next to AUTOS.
@JOHNSNEVERHOME:
I didn't get a chance to respond to comments yesterday, but I wanted to get specific examples of why you disliked yesterday's puzzle so much (if you have time). Constructive criticism is always welcome!
Thanks!
Jeff
jeffchen1972@gmail.com
LOST
MISSING
GONE
... Are progressive top to bottom, fun bit.
i.e.
I LOST it, it's MISSING and now ... It's GONE!!!
did this one rather quickly, used to teach ARTHROscopic surgery when it was new. Other forms are ENDO-, LAPARO-, COLONO- and HYSTERO- can't off the top think of a non "O-"
I count 17 proper name answers today. Not too much of a problem, but the DUBAI/BRAUN/ANITA stack seems a bit much.
LEVIS and THEGAP in the same grid is fun.
Sharper editing might have helped, I agree.
Since it is Monday, this puzzle met the necessary requirements by having white AND black squares and a nice, simple, fun fill.
No complaints. Now, this themeless Rich Norris puzzle I did last night, that is another story.
@John - Maybe where you live. There are no Germans around here. 'cept me. A couple Dutchmen an hour and a half away in the Hudson Valley. Everyone here is Italian, Polish, Lebanese, Syrian, and lately, Spanish, Bosnian and Vietnamese. People laugh when I say FRITZ.
Ideated is really a word? And 'natty' means 'smartly dressed'? Really?
@anon 3:34
webster.com/dictionary/ideated
@anon 3:34
This too
Perhaps it should be called ancient crossword. The 1st one is from 1610 and the 2nd from 1557.
@Jeff Chen
I emailed you my position... I hope that clarifies what I said in Sunday's comments.
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