But it had circles...so you know I enjoyed it.
The theme was revealed at 70A: Capital suggested by the circled letters (which spelled out DIAMOND STATE) and by the starts of 17- and 63-Across and 11- and 29-Down (Dover).
17A: Special Operations group (Delta Force).
63A: Highly pleasing (delightful)...aptly describes this puzzle.
11D: TV angel portrayer (Della Reese).
29D: Overdue (delinquent).
Favorite clues in this one include 20A: Makings of a hero, perhaps (salami), 4D: Dance (cut a rug)...I was trying for the name of a particular dance, 24D: "Alas, poor Yorick!," e.g. (lament), 31D: Beat in a Nathan's hot dog contest, e.g. (overate), Cuban export (sugar)...not cigar, and 55D: Heavenly circle (halo), which tied in nicely with the clue for Ms. Reese.So what did this guy win for eating so many hot dogs? Whatever it was, it wasn't worth it.
Favorite answers:
14A: Baseball's Matty or Felipe (Alou)...and one of these days I'm going to remember it without relying on crosses.
15A: First string (A team)...because I've finally caught on to that tactic.
21A: Food giant that owns Ball Park Franks and Hillshire Farm (Sara Lee). She owns everything...no wonder nobody doesn't like her. I wonder if there's ever been a puzzle that had rival hot dogs listed in the clues. Jim?
32A: Welsh breed (Corgi).
50A: Nun, in Nanterre (soeur).
53A: "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" author (Aesop).
55A: Takes to the police station (hauls in)...just too funny for some reason.
58A: New Jersey college until 1995 (Upsala). I've never heard of it, but it's sad nonetheless.
67A: Brooke's longtime rival on "All My Children" (Erica). This is a soap opera that I have never seen, but even I know that Erica Kane (the witch) was played to perfection by Susan Lucci for more than thirty years.
68A: "Rule, Britannia" composer (Arne). Okay, why did I think it was Elgar?
13D: Jazzman Allison (Mose).
49D: Batik artists, e.g. (dyers). It's not that the answer is great, but the clue for it is so much better than we generally get for answers like that. Plus (19A, clued as [And]), I found a picture that's not just of a beautiful piece of batik...it includes the dyer.
Two more thoughts...
35A: Universal donor blood type, for short (O neg). Doesn't that just seem so unselfish? I feel very greedy being O positive...the universal recipient.
46D: Britney Spears, for one (pop star). It makes one wonder...how long ago was this clue written? I don't think of her as a star any more, and I can think of several other answers for this clue...none of which would fit in the number of spaces in the grid. Can't we just forget about her...and Paris...and Lindsay? Our kids need real role models.
That's it for today. Here's the grid...
...and I'll see you tomorrow.
Linda G
6 comments:
Creature of habit, I entered YENTL instead of YENTA, so the middle took a while to fix. I'm with you on the Britney thing...spear the lot of them. But, I did enjoy Ms. Lohan in Prairie Home Companion. Can't relate to the Hot Dog eating contest. Were they Boudin Blanc, that would be a different matter.
Hi Linda,
You don't need to feel guilty as O poz is not the universal recepient. AB poz is the universal recepient.
I came to check my answers as ONE G for universal donor made no sense to me. I was looking for the O at the end of the word as opposed to the beginning. How I mis-parsed it is truly strange.
profphil
Hi Linda -
I agree with you on 46D. Would have thought that "WHITE TRASH" was a more appropriate answer but I couldn't make it fit...
I guess we all agree that Britney should be clued in some other way!
Bob,
Re: Britney Spears.
The term my daughter uses w/ the trollopy Miley Cyrus is "Pop Tart"
Can apply to Spears also!
Norman
I thought there should have been another zero in "pop".
JD
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