Author: Donna S. Levin
Theme: Phrases with types of oranges in them.
- 18a: Hematologist's test (BLOOD COUNT).
- 25a: Rossini opera, with "The" (BARBER OF SEVILLE).
- 42a: Features of Dr. Evil's apparel (MANDARIN COLLARS).
- 55a: Peachy cocktail (FUZZY NAVEL).
Cute, simple Monday theme. I'm running late, so I'll keep it short.
Sunny Spots:
- 20a: Boy toys? (KEN DOLLS). I'm assuming this clue is trying to be cute with it's use of "boy toy" to reference a doll that is actually a boy. However, I've heard the term "Ken doll" used in the "boy toy" sense, as in "That women's got herself a real Ken doll to keep her happy", so I'm not sure the question mark is necessary. Either way, I love the clue and fill.
- 6d: Emphatic denial (HELL NO). I was pleasantly surprised by this answer.
- 4d: Some business write-offs (BAD DEBTS).
- 9d: Trendy weight-loss plans (FAD DIETS). I like the balance of these two fills.
Sundries:
- 1a: Oscar Madison, e.g. (SLOB). From "The Odd Couple" of film and/or TV.
- 10a: Stanch (STEM). Good clue for stem, as in stemming the flow of blood.
- 14a: It has counties named Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren, and Harrison (IOWA). Name a four-letter state that fits.
- 15a: Jason's vengeful wife in Greek mythology (MEDEA). I vaguely remember this from high school.
- 16a: State on Lake Erie (OHIO). Name a four-letter state that fits.
- 17a: Street ___ (urban acceptability) (CRED).
- 22a: Scottish seaport (DUNDEE).
- 36a: Feudal domains (FIEFS).
- 39a: The square of the square of i (ONE). "i", in math, is an "imaginary number" that stands for the square root of -1. No, I'm not getting to a dissertation on imaginary numbers. Just know that they exist.
- 48a: Chachi's last name on "Happy Days" (ARCOLA). I loved "Happy Days", but I couldn't come up with this one off the top.
- 51a: Roman Catholic prayer (AVE MARIA).
- 58a: Actor Morales of "Rapa Nui" (ESAI). Morales = ESAI, whether it's "NYPD Blue", "La Bamba", or anything else.
- 59a: Ninnies (TWITS).
- 61a: "Those ___ the Days" (WERE). Theme song to "All in the Family".
- 62a: Online magazine since 1996 (SLATE). I've never read it, and am only aware of it's existence because it shows up so often as a clue in puzzles.
- 63a: "Mr. Roboto" rock band (STYX). I'll spare you the link. This is not the song you want in your head all day. Of course, if you know the song well, it's probably too late for that.
- 5d: "Journey Into Fear" author Eric (AMBLER). Needed some crossings to get this one.
- 10d: Woody's wife (SOON YI). I'm leaving this one alone.
- 11d: Kerplunk's kin (THUD). My first instinct was PLOP, but THUD is good too.
- 25d: "___ Buddies" (Tom Hanks TV series) (BOSOM). I'm going to guess that Tom Hanks will never look back on this as a high point in his career.
- 30d: Like the Muslim calendar (LUNAR). Not hard to figure.
- 36d: Stinging insects (FIRE ANTS).
- 38d: Containers for odds and ends (HOLD-ALLS). This is not a term I'm familiar with. Feels a little forced.
- 41d: Steal, in slang (GLOM). GLOM is a cool word.
- 43d: Lulu (DOOZIE). So is DOOZIE
- 53d: '60s TV series made into a 2002 film (I SPY).
- 54d: Summit (APEX). Guessed right the first time between APEX and ACME.
Suns of Bitches:
- 38a: Tennis great Mandlikova (HANA). I had _ANA and figured maybe DANA; needed the cross to get HANA.
Nice puzzle. Took me a little longer than average for a Monday, but no major sticking spots.
Thanks for listening.
- Pete M.
3 comments:
i did not know BLOOD was an orange.
i did not know SEVILLE was an orange.
i did not know NAVEL was an orange.
i did not know MANDARIN was a collar.
other than that, i was all over this one.
I knew of blood, mandarin, and navel oranges, but I wasn't sure if it was a Barber orange or a Seville orange.
Also, I see we're back to the "Sun" related categories?
Good puzzle, though.
@austin: Whatever works. Besides, I was in a hurry. :)
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