Only a handful of gimmes. 19A: "I'm ready for the weekend!" (TGIF), 22A: "The Da Vinci Code" priory (Sion), 11D: Sound of change (jangle), 34D: 1968 hit whose title is repeated three times with "Oh" and then again after "Baby I love you" (Suzie Q), 39D: Excise on some out-of-state purchases (use tax), 40D: Mr. abroad (senor), 46D: Extra benefits (perks) and 51D: "This is disastrous!" (oh no).
With the Q and X in place, it was fairly easy to figure out 56A: Exercise animal? (quick brown fox). That started opening things up in the bottom half of the puzzle...47D: When a football may be hiked (on two)...which gave way to 46A: "A parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor": Ambrose Bierce (piano)...which led to 37D: Miss badly (pine for)...37A: Constellation between Cygnus and Pisces (Pegasus).My Indian tribe knowledge is pathetic. I didn't have a clue about 1A: Algonquian Indian tribe (Miami) or the related 2D: Home of many of the 1-Across: Abbr. (Ind.)...or 22D: Northwest tribe (Spokane). All were good guesses when I had a few letters in place. I only knew Miami and Spokane as cities.
Needed Google to answer 11A: Singer with the #1 hit "All I Have" (Jennifer Lopez). I never think of her as a singer...and I generally don't think of her as an actress, either. The exception was her role as Selena, the queen of Tejano music who was murdered by the president of her fan club. It was a tragic story...and a perfect role for Jennifer Lopez.Other unknowns include 21A: Chalon-sur-__, France (Saone), 29A: Indian pastries (samosas), 57A: Hopscotch (potsy), 4D: Fuchsite and alurgite (micas), 12D: Mr. Rosewater in Kurt Vonnegut's "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" (Eliot), 13D: "Butterfly" actress, 1981 (Zadora) and 24D: 2004 Sondheim musical, with "The" (Frogs). I got some from crosses...others from Google.
I love anagrams, but I tore my hair out on 14A: Sci-fi character whose name is an anagram of CAROLINA ISLANDS (Lando Calrissian). I'm not a Star Wars fan so I was totally unfamiliar with this...had to Google to see how to parse it when I had all the letters in place. And here he is...played by Billy Dee Williams.Favorites include the multiword answers at 5D: Assuming even that (if at all), 14D: Clear the way to (let at), 35D: Make hot (steam up) and 36D: Passes effortlessly (sails by)...as well as the 15-letter answer at 53A: Some licensed practitioners (members of the bar).
Also liked 17A: Have quite enough for (satiate), 27A: Climber's support (tendril), 32A: 100 qintars (lek), 33A: Hands out (assigns), 41A: They're plucked (lutes)...not brows, 44A: Star __ (anise), 50A: Stuffed with cheese, in Mexican cooking (relleno)...good guess, 6D: They'll give you the run-around (errands), 7D: Illuminati (elite)...both the clue and the answer, 10D: More than exalts (deifies), 20D: South Beach, e.g. (fad diet) and 26D: Corinthian conclusion (Omega).
That's it for tonight. Here's the grid...
...and I'll see you tomorrow.
Linda G
5 comments:
Linda,
You have 36D right in your puzzle but wrong in your blog.
I sailed right by that one, Rick. Thanks...it's fixed.
Ugh is all I can say about todays puzzle...it was unbelievably hard and without Dr Google it would have been impossible. Yesterday's was not much easier but your blog filled in the blanks as I did not get to the puzzle until late last night. I can only imagine what tomorrow's will be like!
Have a good day
Bob
Linda, I think you'd like Out of Sight, which stars Jennifer Lopez as a federal marshal and George Clooney as a fugitive she's after. There's a smoldering chemistry, the sort of chemistry between two quick-witted people, and the eventual love scene is intercut with...conversation. It's surprisingly hot and smart at the same time. (Directed by Steven Soderbergh, who knows what he's doing.) You can skip most of the rest of J-Lo's cinematic oeuvre, but this one's a keeper.
Saturday's puzzle: A real bastard!
A few new words never before seen.
I thought I had a solid gimmee on 32A with "JEREZ" since we had traveled there and sampled sherries at various vineyards in the town while touring thru Spain. Wasn't to be. Shortz went with the name from the time of Muslim occupation which was "XERES"
Good luck to all!! Have fun tearing your hairs out.
Norman
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