I didn't get home from the volunteer appreciation dinner until almost 10:00. Fortunately, I was really on Mike's wavelength and solved much faster than I normally do a Friday puzzle.
My very favorite was the two-part answer at 30A: With 36-Across, shortsighted (pennywise and pound foolish). That was one of my mother's favorite expressions, and it has affected many of the decisions I've made...not just those relating to spending...all my life. I was able to get it with the I and A in 30A and the P and I in 36A. To say I was proud of that would be an understatement.
The other long answer that came easily was 21D: Fictional secret agent (Maxwell Smart). Really...who else could it have been? Especially since I had (correctly) guessed 28A: Dr. Seuss book, with "The" (Lorax).Nice that my four years of Spanish came in handy tonight. 15A: Hombre-to-be (muchacho) was a nice answer to have in the northwest corner...especially since some of the others weren't coming very easily. It took me forever to see that 1D: No Oscar contender was B movie.
Similarly, I didn't get 57A: Some natural history museum attractions (T-Rexes), even after I had the correct letters in place.
So maybe I wasn't totally on Mike's wavelength, but there were several other gimmes.
33A: Disappear, in a way (go AWOL).
43A: Piece of cake in school (easy A). I thought several of my classes fit that category...but how do you explain that more than half of the class got C or lower?
7D: Long-running Art and Chip Sansom comic strip (The Born Loser).
12D: Some are sweetened (iced teas). I can't tell you how happy I am to see it written that way. One of my pet peeves is seeing it written as ice teas. The tea is iced...hence, the name. I'm probably preaching to the choir here.
These weren't exactly gimmes, but I was able to suss them out with very few letters in place.
17A: Accurate (on target).
53A: Landmark on the Chicago shoreline (Navy Pier). We went there with the girls to visit Don's mother and brother. I wish I could find the picture of Leslie at the top of the ferris wheel with her Uncle Brian. It was priceless...you know, when kids have that look of absolute wonder.
55A: Fill up with gas (aerate).
58A: Its dome was designed by Michelangelo (St. Peters).
13D: Mountain, e.g. (time zone). Mine. Well, I share it with a lot of other people.
14D: Inflammation reducer (steroid). I just got a shot of Kenalog for my allergies this week. I'm guessing that it's a steroid. All I know is that two days later, I am about 99% better than I've been in over a month. Pollen and wind are not a good combination...but Kenalog is a miracle drug.
The one answer I changed multiple times...36D: Views through a keyhole. First I had peeps at...changed it to peers at. Finally figured out that 47A: Its logo is a goateed man in an apron referred to Colonel Sanders. KFC changed my answer once and for all to peeks at.
I've never heard of 46A: "T.J. Hooker" actor Adrian (Zmed)...but isn't that some last name.
Geographical things I didn't know and will probably never remember...5D: __ Sea (arm of the Arctic Ocean) (Kara) and 30D: Iloilo's island (Panay)...unless they're in the puzzle again in the next week or so.
Also didn't know 18A: Simple inflorescence, as in a lily of the valley (raceme)...which incorrectly (funnily) parses as race me. Again, I don't hold out much hope for remembering it.
It's after 11:00, and I still need to make frosting and frost a cake...so I'd better wrap this up.
Here's the grid...
...and I'll see you tomorrow.
Linda G
7 comments:
I think it is supposed to be PENNYWISE AND EURO FOOLISH.
I thought it strange that Zmed existed all these years in minor television fame never to have surfaced in my consciousness -- perhaps I always thought it was a pharmaceutical reference and just passed it by!
Thanks for explaining 57 A - trexes. I had the correct answer but didn't know what I had :) ET
Karmasart...EURO would be correct if the UK was part of the EURO zone, but they are not.
Linda, allergies can be a real pain this time of year...I heard on the news this morning that I live in the 2nd worst allergy city in the US..ugh!!!
Good Puzzle Linda. Kenalog is indeed a steroid (one in whose development I had a small part as a student at Columbia Presbyterian - now NY Weil Cornell Medical center)
I just couldn't get TIME ZONE. I kept thinking it was something like great(big) one. I was thinking about an actual mountain and someone named after him. You're never so wrong as when you think you've almost got it. Likewise SPLITS. I had ARAB for SERB and that messed things up. I also had MANNA for MATZO -which should be spelled in English with an H and that made things in that corner even worse! Glad to hear your allergies are under control
DrBob
Hey there.
Thanks for staying up late to work my little puzzle. I know there are many constructors' grids that I would lose a bit of sleep over, too!
As always, I appreciate all the kind words...see you soon.
MN
The one that got me was 37-down, Gunpowder alternatives. Even after I worked in "oolongs", I didn't understand it..... kept saying to myself, "huh?"
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